The second principle of the Manifesto is social justice. The Manifesto defines this as follows:
Museums have a responsibility to work with their communities to overcome the challenges of poverty and exclusion and to achieve equality of outcomes.
Social justice in museums is based on the principle of the right to equality of access and participation for all. It means that the whole of the public can benefit from the collections and resources of museums and that everyone can participate and contribute equally.
Social justice means museums working with their communities to enhance health and wellbeing, create better places to live and work, and provide opportunities for debate and reflection.
Meaningful participation and volunteering can promote self-confidence and improve the life chances of participants, including overcoming social isolation and providing opportunities to develop skills and improve employability.
The principle of social justice in the Manifesto connects closely with the Museums Association’s Museums Change Lives campaign. This campaign demonstrates how museums can increase our sense of wellbeing, help us feel proud of where we have come from, and inspire, challenge and stimulate us. There is more information on this campaign on the Museums Association website.
The following exercises ask you to reflect on how social justice relates to your professional practice. You will have the opportunity to watch others in the sector talk about what this principle means to them and their work