Last week, Yasmin Williams announced a free show at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC on September 18. Now the Virginian composer and guitarist—who posted screenshots of a heated email exchange with Kennedy Center president Richard Grenell in April, and later elaborated on the experience in an interview with Pitchfork—has shared a statement explaining her decision.
According to Williams, her upcoming performance was planned prior to President Donald J. Trump’s overhaul of the Kennedy Center board of trustees. “I’m doing the show for all the Kennedy Center staff who formed their own union and are still working there, fighting to maintain the institution’s integrity,” she wrote on Instagram. “I’m doing it for the folks who were unjustifiably fired. I’m doing it for the elderly ushers who were told to not wear masks publicly while working, even facing backlash from higher ups if they wore one.” Read Williams’ full message below.
In February, President Trump was elected chairman of the Kennedy Center. He named Grenell as interim executive director and dismissed all 18 Democratic appointees from the traditionally bipartisan board of trustees. This led Ben Folds to step down from his role as artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra. Dozens of artists, including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Rhiannon Giddens, and Issa Rae, subsequently cancelled their scheduled performances.
Williams emailed Grenell directly to inquire whether the Kennedy Center’s “hiring practices, performance booking, and staffing” would be meaningfully impacted following the shakeup. In the ensuing back-and-forth, Grenell accused artists of cancelling shows “because they couldn’t be in the presence of republicans.” “I remember saying that I didn’t think that was the right thing to do,” Williams told Pitchfork at the time. “I thought that artists should continue to play there, mainly because I know a lot of people who work there and their incomes were being really, really negatively impacted from artists canceling shows.”
Williams shared her latest album, Acadia, in 2024. Last month, President Trump announced the first class of Kennedy Center honorees since he took over as chair. Gloria Gaynor, Kiss, George Strait, Sylvester Stallone, and British actor Michael Crawford will be recognized at the annual Kennedy Center Honors ceremony in December.
Read about Yasmin Williams’ 2021 album Urban Driftwood at No. 59 on “The 100 Best Albums of the 2020s.”
Yasmin Williams:
I recently announced that I’m playing at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage on September 18th. Some folks seem confused with this decision, so I’ll explain why I decided to go through with the show.
The show was originally planned several months ago, before the overhaul of the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees, and before my email exchange with Ric Grenell. After these events transpired and I saw people’s (understandably) negative reaction toward the Kennedy Center, with people saying they wouldn’t see a show there anymore, I began to doubt whether or not I should do the show at all.
I wasn’t sure if anyone would come… I’m still not sure about that… but I’m doing the show for all the Kennedy Center staff who formed their own union and are still working there, fighting to maintain the institution’s integrity. I’m doing it for the folks who were unjustifiably fired. I’m doing it for the elderly ushers who were told to not wear masks publicly while working, even facing backlash from higher ups if they wore one.
I invite all of the Kennedy Center union members to the show. Please feel free to wear a mask, whether you’re a staff member or a guest. I will try to personally make sure that all guests at the show are comfortable and treated with respect by the staff (which has always been the case at any show I’ve ever played at the Kennedy Center).
Ric Grenell, even you can come too… only if you can stomach sitting next to people who may not look like you or have your same politics… and if you can handle a polite verbal jab (or two) from me 😉
