Op-Ed Contributor

Put Culture in the Cabinet

Chapel Hill, N.C.



Both Roosevelt and Johnson demonstrated their forceful commitment to the preservation and celebration of American culture  and they did so in challenging times.

So what will President-elect Barack Obama do? Well, here’s a suggestion.

Over the years, America has developed an impressive array of federal cultural programs  in addition to the endowments for the arts and the humanities. These include the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Library of Congress, the National Archives, NPR, PBS and the Smithsonian Institution.

Each of these organizations has helped preserve our nation’s rich folklore  its music, stories and traditional arts  as a uniquely powerful voice for our culture.


Which is why I believe the president should create a cabinet-level position  a secretary of culture  to provide more cohesive leadership for these impressive programs and to assure that they receive the recognition and financing they deserve.


Mr. Obama has an opportunity to revitalize our national spirit by strengthening our cultural programs at every level. It’s hard to imagine what could be a more important  and enduring  legacy.