Visitors found a noose in an exhibit on segregation at the National Museum of African American History and Culture on Wednesday.
Police removed the noose, and the exhibit was reopened within three hours, the Smithsonian said. An investigation is ongoing.
“The noose has long represented a deplorable act of cowardice and depravity — a symbol of extreme violence for African-Americans. Today’s incident is a painful reminder of the challenges that African Americans continue to face,” said Lonnie Bunch, the director of the museum, in an email to museum staff.
The incident happened just four days after a noose was found outside the Hirshhorn Museum, which is located across the National Mall from the African-American Museum.
