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[WaPo] Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art accused of culture of racism

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout: Debate & Discussion' started by Os Trigonum, Jul 16, 2020.

  1. Os Trigonum

    Os Trigonum Member
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    "Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art accused of culture of racism":

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/museums/smithsonians-national-museum-of-african-art-accused-of-culture-of-racism/2020/07/15/7d63ff48-c6d8-11ea-a99f-3bbdffb1af38_story.html

    Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art accused of culture of racism

    By
    Peggy McGlone
    July 15, 2020 at 6:09 p.m. EDT

    A group of former employees and board members of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art have written a letter charging the museum with promoting a culture of racism and saying formal reports about racial bias and attacks have been ignored.

    In a letter sent last week to Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, the unidentified individuals say that more than 10 former and current black employees of the museum dedicated to African art and culture have experienced “incidents of racial bias, hostile verbal attacks, retaliation, terminations, microaggressions and degrading comments” that date back at least five years.

    The museum’s staff is predominantly white, with no curators of color, and complaints by black employees about their treatment have been systematically disregarded, according to the letter, first reported by HuffPost.

    Bunch did not respond to a request for comment, but the Smithsonian released a statement Wednesday in response to the letter emphasizing the museum’s commitment to diversity. The museum leaders “are cognizant of the need to recruit, employ and empower more curators and artists that represent diverse fields and backgrounds,” the statement said. “While our collections and exhibits represent a rich diversity of thought, artists and scholarship, we recognize that we must continue to increase diversity within the museum, and drive inclusive behavior among all Smithsonian staff."

    One of the smallest branches of the Smithsonian, the National Museum of African Art has a staff of 29, with six black employees and one Latino, according to Smithsonian spokeswoman Linda St. Thomas. None of its three curators are black, St. Thomas confirmed.

    Three directors have led the museum since 2008 and all of them are black. Johnnetta Cole, a nationally recognized advocate for museum diversity, was the director from 2008 to 2016. She was succeeded by Gus Casely-Hayford, whose two-year tenure ended earlier this year. Deborah L. Mack was recently appointed interim director.

    Cole had no comment when reached Wednesday. Casely-Hayford could not be reached in London, where he is now director of the V&A East, a satellite of the Victoria & Albert Museum. Mack became interim director in March, after the museum closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. A veteran of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, Mack said that the complaints are the result of an overburdened staff, not racism.

    “A number of these issues are conflated with chronic understaffing,” Mack said, noting that the museum had 60 employees in 2000, compared with its current 29. “The museum is very inward looking. It hasn’t been able to stay up to speed with 21st-century museum practices.”

    Several employees are doing the work of two and three positions, Mack said, adding that she is hiring for 14 open positions, which should help to increase staff diversity.

    “I do not like the fact that, at present, there are no black or African curators. And just being black isn’t enough. In this field, we are a complex and multinational people. It’s our obligation to have that representation on staff,” she said.

    Milton Jackson, a former African Art museum educator, told the New York Times that he is one of five individuals who signed the letter. Jackson filed a formal discrimination complaint against the museum in 2016.

    The letter makes seven recommendations, including the removal of deputy director and chief curator Christine Mullen Kreamer, a veteran employee the writers describe as favoring white staff and bullying and harassing their black colleagues. Kreamer responded to a request for comment by directing a reporter to the Smithsonian press office.

    The writers also ask that Kreamer’s position be separated into two and that the museum review all firings and racial complaints. They seek the development of a pay-equity plan for black employees and a public commitment to improving staff diversity and career advancement for black employees.

     
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  2. Os Trigonum

    Os Trigonum Member
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    related:

     
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  3. sirbaihu

    sirbaihu Member

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    This Tweet is an excellent example of a false dilemma. For example, independence v. subservience is a false choice. Here's one other option: cooperative.

    I can tell the Tweeter opposes masks! If she ain't "independent," she's "subservient." Tough life for her.
     
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  4. KingCheetah

    KingCheetah Atomic Playboy
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    Africa is a huge country didn't realize Smithsonian ran their national museum.
     
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  5. KingCheetah

    KingCheetah Atomic Playboy
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    [​IMG]
     
  6. tinman

    tinman 999999999
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    [​IMG]
     
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  7. Os Trigonum

    Os Trigonum Member
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    for all you newly-minted Althouse fans

    @jiggyfly @Major

    https://althouse.blogspot.com/2020/07/sooner-or-later-youre-going-to.html

    excerpt:

    . . . I'm reading that "Whiteness" article from the National Museum of African American History & Culture and it presented the work ethic as part of the internalized aspects of white culture:

    [​IMG]

    For the record, I consider it racist to assign the value of hard work to white people and leave black people on the other side (exactly where the traditional stereotype puts them). I think each of us values work and the avoidance of work in our own way, and it's fine that we do. We should be efficient and make particularized judgments about what's worthwhile, otherwise we'll lose our productive energy and languish in meetings and training sessions led by the dullest people on earth.​
     
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  8. Os Trigonum

    Os Trigonum Member
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  9. Os Trigonum

    Os Trigonum Member
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    "African American Museum site removes ‘whiteness’ chart after criticism from Trump Jr. and conservative media":

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/ente...f6e6f2-c831-11ea-8ffe-372be8d82298_story.html

    excerpt:

    Museum officials apologized and removed the material, which had been online since May 31, saying it did not contribute to the discussion as planned, interim director Spencer Crew said Friday.

    “The whole idea behind the portal is how do we give tools to people to have these conversations that are vital to moving forward. This was one of those tools,” Crew said. “We have found it’s not working in the way we intended. We erred in including it.”

    But Crew said the chart is not racist. “We’re trying to talk about ideology, not about people,” he said. “We are encouraging people to think about the world they live in and how they navigate it. It’s important to talk about it to grow and get better.”

    The website will continue to evolve, Crew said. “This comes out of almost a decade of work,” he said. “We will make additions, and we will do things to make it better. We listen to a variety of comments and take them into account.”

    The “Talking About Race” portal was created as the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked protests and marches for racial justice across the nation. It features exercises, role-playing activities, videos and links to scholarly writing that explore eight areas: bias; race and racial identity; the historical foundations of race; whiteness; being anti-racist; community building; social identities and systems of oppression; and self-care.

    The chart came from a 1978 book, “White Awareness: Handbook for Anti-Racism Training” by Judy H. Katz, according to the museum. It lists about 50 attributes white people used to describe their culture. These attributes, it said, “have been normalized over time and are now considered standard practices in the United States. And since white people still hold most of the institutional power in America, we all have internalized some aspects of white culture, including people of color.”
    pretty sure the interim director lost ground here on becoming the permanent director

     
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  10. Os Trigonum

    Os Trigonum Member
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    related story. Who knew D.C. museums were such hotbeds of white supremacy?

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/ente...fc5c82-c85b-11ea-8ffe-372be8d82298_story.html

    National Gallery of Art director responds to allegations of harassment and diversity issues at the museum

    By
    Peggy McGlone
    July 17, 2020 at 6:31 p.m. EDT

    Kaywin Feldman, who last year became the first woman to lead the National Gallery of Art, said in an interview Friday that she agrees with some reforms called for in an online petition seeking racial justice and increased diversity at the museum. But she rejects the petition’s assertion that white supremacy is at the core of the museum’s mission.

    “The National Gallery of Art serves the nation by welcoming all people to explore and experience art, creativity and our shared humanity,” Feldman said. “One of the reasons museums matter is they are all about people. The works of art that we have here at the gallery represent the lived experience, the highs, the lows, the joys, the sorrow, war, pain, agony. It’s all there.”

    Feldman acknowledged the “tension” that exists in representing the diversity of the United States in a museum that is known for its European-based art collection.

    “But I think it’s healthy and it’s part of these great discussions we are having,” she said. “I’m optimistic and confident that we will grow and progress.”

    Written by two former and one current employee and signed by almost 70 others, the petition alleges sexual and racial harassment at the federally funded institution and calls for broad reforms to make it a more diverse, equitable and transparent institution.

    The 2,285-word petition was written in response to the national Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality and the death in Minneapolis of George Floyd. Museum employees in New York, Boston, Los Angeles, New Orleans and Akron, Ohio, have mounted campaigns against what they claim is systemic racism, sexism and unfair treatment of LGBTQ and BIPOC (the acronym for black, indigenous and people of color) employees in their field. Last week a letter from former employees of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art alleged a culture of racism that they say stretched back a decade.
    more at the link

     
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  11. Invisible Fan

    Invisible Fan Member

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    Need more coffee with Kreamer?
     
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