This week, President Donald Trump fired the librarian of Congress. Dr. Carla D. Hayden was fired by the Trump administration as the head of the Library of Congress. Dr. Hayden was appointed by President Obama in 2016 to serve a 10-year term. She was the first African American and first woman to serve in the post. The library rarely changes leadership. Dr. Hayden was its first new leader since 1987.

She was terminated in a communique from the deputy director of White House personnel, Trent Morse. No reason was given for the termination. What could be the reason behind Trump’s unusual dismissal of the library’s leader? Was there an unresolved personnel issue, or was this a case of malfeasance on the part of Dr. Hayden? She had to commit some egregious act to warrant this action. Or was she just considered to “woke” to serve as a member of the Trump administration?

Info About the Library and Dr. Hayden at a Glance

The Library of Congress is the oldest government-run cultural institution in the United States. It is also the largest library in the world. It serves as the main research arm of Congress and also as the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. The beginning of the Library of Congress can be traced back to 1800. As part of an act of Congress changing the location of the national government from Philadelphia to Washington, President John Adams approved the expenditure of $5,000 for books for the use of Congress.

It was deemed that a Joint Congressional Committee would furnish oversight for the library. In 1802, President Thomas Jefferson approved a legislative compromise that made the job of Librarian of Congress a presidential appointment, giving the Library of Congress an unusual relationship with the president. Dr. Hayden came to the library after a long tenure as the chief librarian for the City of Baltimore. She met Mr. Obama when she served as the City of Chicago’s chief librarian.

Why Trump Terminated Dr. Hayden

So why would President Trump remove such a respected and well-qualified individual from his administration? It seems that there were two main factors that contributed to her being ousted from her position. She had come under fire from a conservative advocacy group that had made it a priority to advocate for the removal of anyone who stood in the way of Trump’s agenda. The American Accountability Foundation accused her and other library leaders of promoting children’s books with “radical” content and literary material penned by the president’s opponents.

Also, her firing came just days after she testified before the Senate Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee and the House Administration Committee, where ranking member Rep. Joseph D. Morelle highlighted Trump’s attacks on cultural institutions, including libraries and museums. In a premonition of things to come, he said.

“If this effort succeeds, libraries in virtually all our districts around the country will be forced to close their doors. Even the Smithsonian has come under fire, absurdly accused of promoting improper and corrosive ideology merely for presenting historical facts that the president finds inconvenient. It doesn’t take much imagination to see the Library of Congress next in the crosshairs, and I’m very concerned about it.”

The Race Card

Hayden, unfortunately, became another victim of Trump’s war on high-ranking African American officials. Her ouster was presaged by the firing of Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr. as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Brown was only the second Black general to serve as chairman.

The president also terminated Gwynne Wilcox, the first Black woman to serve on the National Labor Relations Board, right before the start of. Black History Month. These firings, along with Trump’s suggestion that diversity efforts at the FAA had compromised air safety, begs the question.

How much did race factor into the president’s firing of Dr. Hayden?