The performing arts are a spearhead of expression. Yet when a certain Jazz musician stood up to express about the Kennedy Centre's Donald Trump-induced renaming, he was penalized.

Jazz drummer Chuck Redd cancelled his long-running Christmas show at the Kennedy Center, aka the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Titled 'Jazz Jam', Redd's nixing of the event came in protest against the Center's name change to The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.

As a result, he was retaliated against with a $1 million lawsuit. In a letter, Richard Grennell, the President of the Center, condemned Redd's boycott, as reported by The Associated Press.

"Your decision to withdraw at the last moment—is classic intolerance and very costly to a non-profit Arts institution," stated Grennell. He pointed to Redd's absence as politically inclined rather than performing arts-friendly, as per The Associated Press.

While Chuck Redd may have to face the lawsuit, the Kennedy Center might not stand the law either.

Donald Trump's slightly off-law renaming spree

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was christened in 1967. Donald J. Trump, however, relieved the Center of having only one sole proprietor a few days before Christmas.

His renaming of the institution, however, has been labelled as a breach of the law by experts because the center is considered a memorial. It has been clearly prohibited for even the trustee board to add any other name to the 35th President's memorial, as per The Associated Press.

The Kennedy Center now stands renamed in its title. Chuck Redd's protest is a symbol of the widespread, yet ignored, disagreement with President Donald Trump's decision.

What do you think of Chuck Redd's penalized protest? Let us know in the comments below!

Written by

Adiba Nizami

Edited by

Aliza Siddiqui