It was a limited slice of the museum field who could attend the AAM conference in LA this year, but a few of the Museums & Race steering committee were able to be there. We saw expressions of passion, anger, and grief by attendees and presenters. There has been a positive culture shift towards social justice in museums over the years, and the intention to keep doing justice and equity work in the face of the current public climate persists.
However, the public conversation was different from the private conversations. People are being careful with what they say–even one of this post’s writers didn’t speak up in every situation–they were worried about the blowback against their job and institution. Some institutions have harshly silenced their staff’s ability to speak openly due to their fears of losing funding, or an existential threat to the institution’s existence. Still, some museums are doing the work loudly, while others do the work surreptitiously. The difference largely has to do with funding sources and leadership structures.
We encourage people who can speak up to do so. Would you like an outlet to anonymously say what you need to say on matters of museums and race in the world right now? Reach out to us at museumsrace@gmail.com and we’ll work with you to put your voice out there without identifying yourself or your institution.
Museums & Race 