The Kennedy Center is ending the year with a new round of artists saying they are canceling scheduled performances after President Donald Trump’s name was added to the facility. The institution’s president is accusing the performers of making their decisions because of politics. The Cookers, a jazz supergroup, announced their withdrawal from “A Jazz New Year’s Eve” on their website. Doug Varone and Dancers, a dance group based in New York, said they would pull out of a performance slated for April, saying they “can no longer permit ourselves nor ask our audiences to step inside this once great institution.” Musician Chuck Redd canceled a Christmas Eve performance last week.

Since pandemic-fueled anti-Asian hate surged in 2020, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander advocates have mobilized to make AAPI history mandatory learning. There have been some successes with around a dozen states passing statutes requiring curriculum. Other states now include it in academic standards. Beyond well-known events, classes are diving into other topics like media stereotypes of South Asians or Vietnamese refugee experiences.  But as efforts arise elsewhere so has division among Asian Americans. More progressive voices question the fairness and optics of seeking approval from lawmakers who have rejected history focused on other historically marginalized groups. Some states that support AAPI history have rejected courses like African American studies.