Dismantling racism at an organsiational level requires transformational change. Work of this scale needs dedicated leadership, processes and resources. Building accountability in how this work is done will be incredibly important. Accountability can be defined as:
“In the context of racial equity work, accountability refers to the ways in which individuals and communities hold themselves to their goals and actions and acknowledge the values and groups to which they are responsible.
“To be accountable, one must be visible, with a transparent agenda and process. Invisibility defies examination; it is, in fact, employed in order to avoid detection and examination. Accountability demands commitment. It might be defined as “what kicks in when convenience runs out.” Accountability requires some sense of urgency and becoming a true stakeholder in the outcome. Accountability can be externally imposed (legal or organizational requirements), or internally applied (moral, relational, faith-based, or recognized as some combination of the two) on a continuum from the institutional and organizational level to the individual level. From a relational point of view, accountability is not always doing it right. Sometimes it’s really about what happens after it’s done wrong.”
Racial Equity Tools, source: ‘Accountability and White Anti-Racist Organizing: Stories from Our Work’, Bonnie Berman Cushing with Lila Cabbil, Margery Freeman, Jeff Hitchcock, and Kimberly Richards (2010).
Accountability in anti-racism work closely connects to principle 3 of the Museum Association’s Code of Ethics – Individual and Institutional Integrity. The code states that museums and those who work in and with them should:
“Uphold the highest level of institutional integrity and personal conduct at all times.”
Building a strong foundation of accountability will contribute to delivering anti-racism work which upholds institutional integrity.
In the following exercises, we will explore how museums can build accountability in our anti-racist work at an organisational level. In the next lesson, we will consider how to sustain this work in the long-term.