We Must Save Museums to Make History
TIME Magazine’s Olivia Waxman recently published an article discussing the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the nation’s small history museums, including comments from AASLH President and CEO John Dichtl. Dichtl offers additional thoughts about the challenges history organizations are confronting and what’s at stake if we lose them.
The Museum Education Roundtable Responds
The board and staff of NEMA value inclusivity and honesty: we recognize that museums have work to do to reach their ideals of equity and justice. We encourage the museum field, in the face of this persistent racist violence against people of color and especially Black Americans, to take action to become better allies in the effort to dismantle systemic racism. NEMA staff and board will be working toward concrete ways to support this work with upcoming events and resources. We are grateful to the leadership of our colleagues at Museum Education Roundtable for compiling resources and recommendations for both individuals and organizations; please take a look at them: www.museumedu.org/mer-responds/
Remembering Civil Rights Icon John Lewis
Congressman and Civil Rights leader John Lewis passed away on July 17, 2020. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture is one of the many legacies Lewis leaves behind. According to Smithsonian Magazine, Lewis wrote, “I introduced the museum bill in every session of Congress for 15 years,..Giving up on dreams is not an option for me.” Read more on their website about the incredible Civil Rights Icon.
Upending our Ideas about Leadership in Museums
Since the beginning of this pandemic crisis and throughout the ongoing protests demanding racial justice, we have seen evidence of a wide range of leadership qualities on the public stage. The behaviors of those in traditionally-defined leadership positions have varied from being fairly brave, vulnerable, and serving the greater good, to acting in ways that are extremely harmful, self-serving, violent, and reprehensible. For museums, we’ve certainly seen this full range of leadership behavior—yet, unfortunately, far too much of the self-serving, harmful kind.
Talking About Race
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture has recently launched Talking About Race, a website full of resources for exploring race and diving deeper into the topic in this lifelong journey. Content is freely available on their website.
Black Women in Nonprofits Matter
Dr. Danielle Moss Lee calls for non-profits to uplift Black women in the sector by offering 10 pointed on places to get started. She says, “Make no mistake, if you are ignoring the leadership of Black women in the nonprofit sector, or actively working to undermine that leadership, you are causing personal, psychological, economic, and social harm to Black women.” Read her full post online.
Do Your Employees Know Why You Believe in Racial Equity?
In this piece by Ruchika Tulshyan, you learn about the importance for framing the why your organization believes in racial equity. It includes five suggestions “for how your team can meaningfully communicate and execute your commitment to anti-bias and dismantling racism.”
What We Are Called to Do Now
This blog post was shared on http://museumtwo.blogspot.com/ and can be found on Jackie Peterson’s blog. She questions, “How can you begin to make space for others in your dreams and goals and visions? How can you more deeply investigate whether your goals and visions and dreams were implanted by capitalist, ableist, heteronormative, white supremacist society or whether there is a way for them to be in service of the collective?” Read more online here.
Cartography: A Black Woman’s Response to Museums in the Time of Racial Uprising
Dr. Porchia Moore shares her response to museums in a time of racial crisis.
Mapping Our Social Change Roles in Times of Crisis
Explore your role in a social change ecosystem using this tool created by Deepa Iyer, SolidarityIs and Building Movement Project. Learn more about “a framework that can help individuals, networks, and organizations align and get in the right relationship with social change values, individual roles, and the broader ecosystem.”
Blame, Boards & Change
“Are You Willing to Give Up Your Privilege?” This Leadership Matters post brings to the forefront the calls for change in museum leadership structures and the recent NYT’s Op-Ed article by Ford Foundation’s President, Darren Walker, which called out privilege and philanthropy. Read the full post here.
The ADA isn’t just about ramps – over 30 years, it has profoundly changed the deaf community
Celebrating the Americans with Disabilities Act 30th anniversary by reading this reflection by Gerard Buckley, President of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, Rochester Institute of Technology.
The New Must-Have Museum Souvenir: Face Masks by Carrie Collins-Fadell
Is your site creating custom masks? Do you have staff branded masks? Read this article to see what a few museums are doing to make mask policies a little more artsy.
Videos, Podcasts, & More
Implicit Bias Test
Project Implicit is a non-profit organization and international collaboration between researchers who are interested in implicit social cognition - thoughts and feelings outside of conscious awareness and control. The goal of the organization is to educate the public about hidden biases and to provide a “virtual laboratory” for collecting data on the Internet. You can take their free implicit bias test and learn more about their project on their website.
Video: Why Does Privilege Make People So Angry? | Decoded | MTV News
We all have privilege in some way, and it’s not always an easy thing for folks to come to terms with. However, pointing out someone’s privilege shouldn’t be a personal attack. Discussing privilege isn’t about blame; it’s about raising awareness of the inequalities that exist in today’s society. Realizing how we might be treating certain groups of people unfairly is the first step to changing the situation, and becoming true equals!
Video: Let's get to the root of racial injustice | Megan Ming Francis | TEDxRainier
In this inspiring and powerful talk, Megan Francis traces the root causes of our current racial climate to their core causes, debunking common misconceptions and calling out "fix-all" cures to a complex social problem.
Podcast: The C-Word: Returning To Work
In some museums conservation can be a bit of a naughty word but these podcasters think it ought to be celebrated. Tune in to this episode to hear a variety of perspectives on getting back to work and, fingers crossed, no pests in the collection.
Podcast: Sisterhood Is Critical to Racial Justice
In to this episode of Women at Work Podcast from the Harvard Business Review, you will hear from professors Ella Bell Smith and Stella Nkomo on “how race, gender, and class play into the different professional experiences”; Additionally, “professors Tina Opie and Verónica Rabelo about the power of workplace sisterhood.” Give it a listen and check out the additional resources on the podcast page.