Above, W. Richard West Jr. is Founding Director, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian and Retired Director of Autry Museum of the American West
By WAYNE D. KING, Radical Centrist
“I am dismayed – dismayed beyond words – at what is happening in our country, but I do have an ultimate faith in better outcomes,” W. Richard West Jr. said.
Though home for him is now Los Angeles, Rick and his brother Jim grew up in Muskogee, Oklahoma, as citizens of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes. Rick is also considered a favorite son of New Hampshire, where he and his brother Jim and their father W. Richard West Sr. (Wah Pah Nah Yah) were campers and staff at Camp Mowglis, School of the Open on Newfound Lake. (see INDEPTHNH.org – The Extraordinary Legacy of W. Richard West Sr.)
The son of American Indian master artist, the late Walter Richard West Sr., ” (Cheyenne name: Wah Pah Nah Yah aka Lightfoot Runner) and Maribelle McCrea West, he earned a bachelor’s degree in American history from the University of Redlands in California in 1965, where he graduated, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Redlands in California.
Richard West was appointed to be the founding director of the National Museum of the American Indian in 1990. He was formally named to the position on May 21, 1990.
When President Trump, in March 2025, issued an Executive Order stating that his administration would be conducting a wide-ranging review of the Smithsonian Institution to align its exhibits with the president’s cultural directives, there was very broad criticism of this as an effort to hobble the freedom of expression among museums that allowed them to present a truthful account of history. Trump has publicly criticized the museums for focusing too heavily on what he calls “divisive narratives” and “woke” ideology, particularly regarding American history and slavery.
Now, more than 15 years after his retirement from NMAI and more than a decade at the helm of the Autry Museum of the American West, Rick has earned a national reputation for reinvigorating what it means to be a museum. By building two important museums with a new philosophical approach, his vision brought together the Native American Community and other diverse interests to create a harmonious opportunity to join all voices together in celebration of the living community that is the American Indian Family within the tapestry of the American Family as a whole. Rick joins us in this podcast to add his wise and powerful voice to the debate.
Now, I’m going to jump around a bit to give you an overview of his remarkable life because, though each piece is important in its own right, together they have defined a route through time and destiny that doesn’t conform to any conventional timeline.
As a citizen of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes and a member of the Society of Southern Cheyenne Peace Chiefs, first among equals of the tribal societies among the Cheyenne and central to the governing of the nation on the Council of 44, he follows on the paths trod by the great Black Kettle, Dull Knife (aka Morning Star), Lean Bear, Little Wolf and Porcupine, among many others.
After his undergraduate work at Redlands, West received a master’s degree in American history from Harvard University in 1968. Deciding that he could serve his community more fully as an attorney, he transferred to Stanford School of Law, from which he received his JD in 1971. He was the recipient of the Hilmer Oehlmann Jr. Prize for excellence in legal writing and served as an editor of the Stanford Law Review.
West practiced law at the Indian-owned Albuquerque, New Mexico, law firm of Gover, Stetson, Williams & West, P.C. (1988-1990). He was also an associate attorney and then partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson (1973-1988). He served as counsel to numerous American Indian tribes, communities, and organizations. In that capacity, he represented clients before federal, state and tribal courts, various executive departments of the federal government, and the Congress.
Richard West was appointed to be the founding director of the National Museum of the American Indian in 1990. He was formally named to the position on May 21, 1990.
Following his retirement from the Smithsonian he was asked, and accepted, a role as CEO of the Autry Museum of the American West. A role that certainly challenged Rick to bust a lot of myths and led him to be acclaimed as a leader who “helped shift the love-hate dynamic between Indigenous people and museums.”
Though he is modest about this, sharing the credit among his colleagues, Rich was a major force at both the Smithsonian and Autry for steering the mission of the modern museum to a space of collaboration, education, community building and mutual understanding.
These experiences demonstrate the thoughtful process that the Smithsonian has developed to fully integrate the museum into the fabric of the American community, where it is more than just a reflection of American life but a powerful force in the process of understanding and reconciliation.
Trumps Executive Order: President Trump, in March 2025, issued an Executive Order stating that his administration would be conducting a wide-ranging review of the Smithsonian Institution to align its exhibits with the president’s cultural directives. Trump has publicly criticized the museums for focusing too heavily on what he calls “divisive narratives” and “woke” ideology, particularly regarding American history and slavery.
The intent of the Executive Order could not have been more obvious than its title: “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” And many asked, of course, “who’s Truth” . . . “who’s sanity”?
Among other things, the order directs the review of federal sites dedicated to history, including the Smithsonian, to ensure they focus on “American greatness” and “unifying” narratives.
President Trump has used his social media platform to accuse the Smithsonian of being “OUT OF CONTROL” and fixated on negative topics, specifically mentioning the history of slavery.
He argues that the museums should place more emphasis on American “success,” “brightness,” and the future.
In August 2025, the White House officially informed Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch of a forthcoming “comprehensive internal review” of eight of the institution’s 21 museums.
The review will involve scrutinizing current and planned exhibitions, including wall text, websites, and social media.
The White House stated that museums would be required to adjust any content deemed “problematic” within 120 days, and that it anticipates the review process will be completed in 2026.
The response from both the museum community, the media and the public has been heartening.
Historians, former Smithsonian staff, and museum associations have criticized the administration’s actions as a form of censorship and a politically motivated attempt to rewrite history.
A Quinnipiac University poll released in September 2025 indicated that 60% of voters opposed the Trump administration’s review of the Smithsonian.
The American Alliance of Museums called the proposed oversight a threat to “freedom of thought and expression” and stressed the importance of institutional independence.
The Smithsonian has publicly maintained its independence and commitment to “scholarly excellence” and “accurate, factual presentation of history.”
As both a legal scholar, lawyer, and museum curator, Rick West has come down squarely on the side of those opposed to the Presidential order, putting his considerable credibility behind the Museum’s Board and Secretary Lonnie Bunch.
In September 2025, Secretary Lonnie Bunch responded to the White House by reiterating the Smithsonian’s authority over its own programming. He stated that the institution would conduct its own review and provide an update to the White House, but would not send a formal report.
From both the Secretary and West, it is a respectful, yet firm, call for resistance.
But as we all know, the Trump administration employs many “extra-judicial” means to get its way, particularly related to funding.
Much of the turmoil can be traced to the more recent development of what are known as “Culturally-Specific museums,” developed especially to emphasize both the unity of the broad American vision and the sometimes-painful truths that have brought us to where we are today , . . each one stepping closer to reconciliation.
They represent both the joy and the pain of bending the “moral arc of the universe toward justice,” particularly for marginalized communities, as Rick West points out in the Podcast interview that accompanies this column.
No one has played a more pivotal role in redefining the role of the modern museum than W. Richard West Jr, who has used his heritage and the wisdom of a life, with feet planted in both worlds, to hone a philosophy that sees museums as a source of both cultural pride and a crucible for developing intercultural understanding and empathy. A place where we can all, in the words of a famous Mary T. Lathrap poem from 1895, “learn to walk in one another’s moccasins.”
In other words, while historically focused on celebrating a group’s unique history, modern conversations must also challenge these museums to highlight shared experiences and universal connections.
Incidently, In keeping with the theme song of this podcast “Tell Me Why” where Reggae musican Free Joseph proclaims: “We’ve got to learn to live together.”. . .
Helping to protect Museums that allow us all to understand the importance of culture and history and truth is the North Star of Rick West’s life: Learning to live together.
Notes & Links
Podcast:
YouTube Video
How Rick West helped shift the love-hate dynamic between Indigenous people and museums – LA Times
Targeted museums
The White House named eight museums for immediate review, but they have made it clear that the entire Smithsonian system is in their sights.
National Museum of African American History and Culture
National Museum of American History
National Museum of Natural History
National Museum of the American Indian
Smithsonian American Art Museum
National Air and Space Museum
National Portrait Gallery
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Notes: Additional show notes can be found at TheRadicalCentrist.us
Photos & Credits
Rick West at NMAI Grand Opening
Photos by Wayne King