Pulitzer Prize-winning Indian-origin writer Jhumpa Lahiri has declined to accept an award from the Noguchi Museum in Queens in protest of its ban on political dress for its staff after it fired three employees who had worn kaffiyehs in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
“Jhumpa Lahiri has chosen to withdraw her acceptance of the 2024 Isamu Noguchi Award in response to our updated dress code policy,” the museum said in a statement.
“We respect her perspective and understand that this policy may or may not align with everyone’s views,” The New York Times cited the statement as saying of Lahiri.