Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri has turned down the Isamu Noguchi Award in response to the recent firing of three Noguchi Museum employees for wearing keffiyehs, a cultural garment and emerging symbol of Palestinian solidarity.
New York City’s Noguchi Museum is preparing to host its fall benefit on October 29, during which philosopher and writer, Lee Ufan, and renowned novelist, Jhumpa Lahiri, are set to be awarded the 11th annual Isamu Noguchi Award.
Honoring the museum’s founder, Japanese-American artist Isamu Noguchi, the award celebrates individuals “who embody Noguchi’s innovative spirit, limitless imagination, and unwavering dedication to creativity,” the museum said in a statement, according to Forbes.
Entering nearly forty years of operation, the museum updated their dress code policy in August, prohibiting employees from wearing clothing linked to “political statements.”
Museum director Amy Hau explained, per Al Jazeera, that the policy “is intended to prevent any unintentional alienation of our diverse visitorship, while allowing us to remain focused on our core mission of advancing the understanding and appreciation of Isamu Noguchi’s art and legacy.”
The implementation of the new policy was met with immediate resistance, with a petition racketing up to fifty signatures from employees demanding its reversal. In an act of honoring the keffiyeh’s cultural significance and defying the dress code, three employees, Trasonia Abbott, Natalie Cappellini, and Q. Chen, were fired on September 4.
“Jhumpa Lahiri has chose to withdraw her acceptance of the 2024 Isamu Noguchi Award in response to our updated dress code policy,” the museum responded to Lahiri’s dismissal, according to USA Today. “We respect perspective and understand that this policy may or may not align with everyone’s views.”
Lahiri’s decision to decline the award is a demonstration of solidarity with the affected employees and the broader pro-Palestine movement. Her action reflects a growing trend of individuals speaking out against institutions that respond to pro-Palestine expressions with swift terminations.
Lahiri has demonstrated longstanding support for Palestine and pro-Palestine protestors. She had previously banded together with other scholars, signing an open letter addressed to university presidents in support of nationwide pro-Palestine student protests and encampments in May.
As the museum faces mounting criticism, Lahiri’s stance speaks to the ongoing struggle for Palestinian solidarity and the costs of silencing voices advocating for it. It remains to be seen whether the museum will address the backlash or revise its stance on the dress code policy in response to growing public scrutiny.
AsAmNews is published by the non-profit, Asian American Media Inc.
We are supported through donations and such charitable organizations as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This holiday season, please make a donation to Asian American Media Inc and AsAmNews and double your impact. Less than $5,000 remains in matching grant funds. Donate today to double your impact and bring us closer to our goal of $38,000 by year-end.
Please also follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube and X.
