A noose was found inside the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. A portion of the museum closed for nearly three hours on Wednesday due to the incident. "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," Lonnie Bunch, the director of the museum. The incident comes only four days after a noose was found hanging outside the Hirshhorn Museum in D.C.