As discussed in the previous lesson, racism is an ongoing issue in museums. Anti-racism work involves recognising and challenging racism in all areas of museum practice. It is about internal transformation, involving everyone who works in and with museums from volunteers, to trustees and freelancing colleagues.
Challenging racism in museum practice can involve:
- Addressing the legacies of empire and colonisation
- Recognising how museums reproduce racism and inequality
Anti-racism is about the social impact of museums. As we’ve considered in the previous section, structural racism impacts people in terms of health, housing, education, poverty, wellbeing, criminal justice and more. If museums are committed to making a difference to people and communities, anti-racism work must be a priority.
Museums have a role to play in influencing and imagining a better, more equitable society. This is demonstrated in the Museums Association’s Museum Change Lives campaign and the Learning and Engagement Manifesto. Anti-racism work is a key area in which museums can advance social justice.
Anti-racism work can be undertaken by all museums. Some museums may not have any staff with lived experiences of racism on their team. Other museums may work in areas where their local communities and audiences are majority white. Anti-racism work can still be done in these contexts.
There is always a role for museums in building anti-racism awareness and challenging injustice through our collections, exhibitions and activities. All museum roles and job functions have a part to play in working for anti-racism.
In the following exercises, we will further consider what anti-racism can involve in museums.