Exploring Diversity and Inclusion at TAM 2018

This year's TAM conference, with its theme of Strength in Unity, saw several sessions focused on questions of diversity, equity, and inclusion, including the facilitator-led roundtable sessions where participants had the chance to discuss these issues together in an informal setting. We are sharing some of the insights and questions that came out of those discussions through the newsletter: this month is focused on the Educators and School Programs Roundtable.

The Educators and School Programs Roundtable noted that museum education is the most trusted form of education, and therefore we have a responsibility to model language and behavior that embraces diversity and inclusion throughout our work. This means that we can't shy away from the ugly parts of history or sugarcoat hard facts – by facing these challenging topics and engaging our visitors, we can find our way to good conversations and better understanding. It is important to remember that while working with our visitors, there is a difference between being assertive with that history and being aggressive – and these approaches have different results. If people feel attacked, they will shut down, get defensive, and not hear what we are saying or be open to exploring the topic further. However, the effort to engage our visitors with difficult history is worthwhile as challenging the narrative we have about ourselves, our communities, and our history can plant positive seeds.

There are different ways to open up the conversation and engage visitors. For instance, we can use objects or images from our museums or sites to help to tell the story we want to tell. A personal connection to people's experience or interest makes it easier to understand difficult topics, and items from our content can help make that connection. We should also examine how we address various concepts and consider that they might be viewed in very different ways by different groups. For example, if we are talking about citizenship, we should think about how this concept can be perceived: is it a signifier of one's citizenship in a country, is it about people's engagement with their community and society, or is it something else? We want to really think about our potential audience and how our portrayal of concepts, ideas, and topics will impact them – will they see themselves in what we are talking about, or will they feel excluded by how we address the topic?

Several participants in this roundtable shared examples of how they were addressing issues of diversity and inclusion within their educational programming. One museum is actively training volunteers to use more inclusive language. For example, rather than saying "our ancestors," which can be exclusive, they are encouraged to say "my ancestors" because it is then personal to them and not excluding others in the group. Another historic site has changed their tour script to more fully acknowledge the family's difficult history as slave holders, which has opened up different discussions with their tour and student groups. Another consideration that was addressed was accessibility. A kit at the front desk that addresses different needs was also a good suggestion; for instance, it could contain gloves to allow guided touch tours or 3-D printed artifacts that can be touched.

Everyone in the roundtable agreed that if a visitor asks why we don't address a specific need or why some issue isn't considered or addressed within our exhibits or programs, honesty is the best policy – in other words, be honest about why the situation is as it is, acknowledge that it is a problem, and address how we are going to approach the issue. These types of questions from our visitors can help our institutions to grow into more diverse and inclusive places.

Next month we'll share the discussion from the Collections and Curators Roundtable. You can also access the notes from all four roundtable sessions here.

Speak Up for Museums!

The American Alliance of Museums and the American Association for State and Local History are encouraging their members to contact legislators and urge them to support the Office of Museum Services in the coming funding negotiations. The House FY 2019 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations measure, which includes funding for the Office of Museum Services (OMS) within the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), is expected to be considered by the House Appropriations Labor-HHS-Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee this week and then by the full Appropriations Committee the week of June 18. The Senate Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee is expected to consider its version of the bill the week of June 25. AAM has prepared helpful tips for advocating, along with a template for contacting legislators, here.