Overview
- Host Chuck Redd called off the two-decade Christmas Eve Jazz Jam after the center added President Donald Trump’s name to its website and facade last week.
- Rep. Joyce Beatty filed a federal complaint in Washington seeking to void the board’s vote, remove Trump’s name from signage and online materials, and affirm her rights as an ex officio trustee.
- Beatty alleges she was muted during the remote meeting where trustees approved the change, while the White House and center officials say the vote was unanimous and credit Trump with stabilizing the institution.
- Legal scholars and members of the Kennedy family argue the 1964 law establishing the center as a living memorial to John F. Kennedy bars adding another person’s name to the building without an act of Congress.
- The cancellation adds to cultural fallout that has included scrapped appearances by artists such as Lin-Manuel Miranda, Issa Rae and Peter Wolf, with the center yet to comment on the latest change.