By Leena Nasir
President Donald Trump’s replacement of the board of the Kennedy Center prompted “Barbie” actress and activist Issa Rae to cancel her own shows at the Kennedy Center and make a swift exit.
Rae, who backs left-wing causes such as defunding the police, pulled the plug on her own sold-out shows Feb. 13 in a statement posted to Instagram Stories. She tried to explain her sudden self-deportation to ticket holders by whining that Trump’s replacement of the board was an “infringement on the values” of the Kennedy Center. Rae’s own politically-driven decision impacted all those that planned to attend her event, titled “An Evening With Issa Rae.”
The actress attempted to justify her sudden cancelation to her abandoned fans.
“Unfortunately, due to what I believe to be an infringement on the values of an institution that has faithfully celebrated artists of all backgrounds through all mediums, I’ve decided to cancel my appearance at this venue,” she said in her statement.
She informed ticket holders that they would be refunded, and closed off her message by writing, “Thank you so much for understanding, and I hope to see you soon.”
Rae is an activist for feminism, social change, and minority empowerment. She has supported defunding the police and spoken out in favor of protests against alleged racial injustice. She has worked closely with Black Lives Matter, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and BLD PWR. The actress uses her platform on the show “Insecure” to encourage people to shop at Black businesses rather than businesses owned by people of other races. (RELATED: Kennedy Center Apparently Scrubs Pages For Most Egregious Left-Wing Content After Trump Threatens Takeover)
Trump recently gutted much of the Kennedy Center’s historically nonpartisan board of trustees. Trump appointed his own supporters in their places and named himself chairman. He positioned Richard Grenell as the new president.
