Pulitzer Winner Jhumpa Lahiri Declines Isamu Noguchi Award Over Museum's Keffiyeh Ban

Sep 26, 2024, 04:30 AM

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri has declined to accept the Isamu Noguchi Award from New York City's Noguchi Museum. Lahiri's decision follows the museum's firing of three employees for wearing keffiyeh head scarves, which symbolize Palestinian solidarity. The museum's updated dress code policy, which bans political dress including keffiyehs, led to the dismissal of the employees. Lahiri cited this policy and the subsequent firings as the reason for declining the award.