Item

Letter to the Community

Title (Dublin Core)

Letter to the Community

Description (Dublin Core)

Letter posted on the Science Museum of Minnesota website, addressing the killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Museums and cultural heritage sights, especially those in Minnesota, have sought to stand in solidarity with protestors demanding justice for George Floyd. This has been complicated by social distancing and pandemic related closures that prevent museums from physically holding events tied to issues of race in the United States. This particular letter highlights the museum's own complicity in perpetuating racial injustice.

Date (Dublin Core)

2020

Creator (Dublin Core)

Alison Rempel Brown

Contributor (Dublin Core)

Alex Bice

Type (Dublin Core)

Webpage

Link (Bibliographic Ontology)

Publisher (Dublin Core)

Science Museum of Minnesota

Controlled Vocabulary (Dublin Core)

English Museums & Libraries
English Race & Ethnicity
English Social Issues

Curator's Tags (Omeka Classic)

Minnesota
Minneapolis
race
George Floyd
museum

Collection (Dublin Core)

Social Justice

Linked Data (Dublin Core)

Date Submitted (Dublin Core)

06/26/2020

Date Modified (Dublin Core)

07/21/2020
03/25/2021

Text (Omeka Classic)

Dear friends,

Many days can be sad days, and Monday, May 25, was another one - a reminder of the continued disparities in our society as a police officer killed another African American man while arresting him. We know the excuses we will hear, but none matter. The man should be alive. His name was George Floyd.

What is wrong with us as a society that we've allowed this strange imbalance and level of racism to persist? We have to fight these inequities and break down these systems.

On March 28, 2018, the Science Museum’s Board of Trustees approved our Statement of Equity and Inclusion. This statement acknowledges the Museum’s role in creating systems of injustice and inequity. Our Trustees, senior leaders, and staff are working to change the Museum, ourselves, and our companies to be part of the change that society needs now.

What power do I have to create real change that will effect systemic change within my workplace, networks, and community? That’s the question I try to ask myself each day. Some people fan the flames of hate that pull us apart. Instead, we need to fan the flames of change to address structural racism and our own biases. Please join me on this difficult journey.

At the Science Museum, advocating for justice and equity is one of our foundational values – one to which we are fiercely committed. With that commitment and in partnership with you and our community, we will continue the work of our mission to inspire learning, inform policy, and improve lives.

In solidarity with you,

Alison Brown

Alison Rempel Brown
President & CEO

Item sets

This item was submitted on June 26, 2020 by Alex Bice using the form “Share Your Story” on the site “A Journal of the Plague Year”: http://mail.covid-19archive.org/s/archive

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