A popular topic being discussed right now in the museum field is diversity and inclusion. It is every where, in panels in conferences and being taught in museum studies programs. When we went over things being done in museums to expand diversity and inclusion in my first semester, I just thought, of course this is important, every museum should be doing all that they can to discuss, bring in, and represent all types of people. It’s a no brainer.
But the execution is sometimes lacking.
As much as diversity and inclusion is discussed and often positively regarded, when people come back from the “post-conference high”, it’s hard to actually get these ideals implemented in an organization. I know this from experience. At one of my internships, during exhibit design and content meetings there were people who brought up diversity and accessibility issues, but things sometimes fell by the wayside, with other issues being more important.
Then there is the issue of some people not acknowledging or taking seriously the use of respectful content. Proper terminology fluctuates, but being aware of contemporary diversity issues and prejudices should be of the utmost importance to an organization that is supposed to be a public steward.
To quote the immortal words of Nicholas Devereaux (AKA Chris Pine in Princess Diaries 2: A
Royal Engagement):
“How can one rule (serve in our case) the people, if they do not know the people?”
(I broke out my DVD to get this quote, you’re welcome)
But it’s more than knowing the people. Museums as cultural stewards must understand the people, understand where they are coming from. And that means ALL the people. In a Incluseum blog post, Emily Dawson wrote about research she did involving museums and low-income minority groups which felt like they have no place in museums. This needs to be proven wrong. Even those with no real story at your site (I’m thinking house museums geared toward a specific story). We share this history, this art, this culture because it matters to us. There is a story and if said story can be used to relate to all people, then you’ve hit the mark.
It’s important to teach your employees why awareness of diversity issues and proper terminology is important so that that knowledge is reflected in the content they share with visitors. I took a tour of a museum recently in which the tour guide was cautious of the pronouns they used. When she stated that she was being cautious, some of the visitors chuckled. Employees should not just know to use proper pronouns, they should know why it matters. I would also suggest that when creating content for museums, in exhibits, tours, or the like, that there should be someone at the meetings bringing up these issues and providing solutions to any potential problems or areas of contention.
Museums are for the people, let’s make sure they are not just talk.
Check out The Incluseum blog for other posts on this topic!
EvokingPassion. 