WMA approaches Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) as a process that must be committed to and regularly reaffirmed. Rather than diversity being a box to be checked, we view D&I as the constant examining and questioning of the makeup of our group to ensure that multiple perspectives are represented, and that there is a sense of inclusion amongst members, staff, and board.

Diversity & Inclusion Statement – Western Museums Association (WMA)

Here, we offer support through the sharing of trusted, valuable, and educational resources to help the museum field examine our own complicity in institutional racism, develop concrete action plans, and reaffirm a commitment to racial injustices.

Educational & Actionable Resources • Activate & Maintain Diversity & Inclusion Within Your Institution

How to Talk About Race + Racial Identity • Readiness Assessments

How to Measure Your Museum's Social Impact • Sample Diversity & Inclusion Statements

EDUCATIONAL & ACTIONABLE RESOURCES REGARDING DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

What can you do? Many organizations are fighting systemic racism in the United States and elevating the important work being done by POC. We encourage you to learn about these organizations and support their missions in any way that you can. To get started, here you'll find links to donate, books to read, workshops to attend, and other educational and actionable resources.

• BlackLivesMatter.org

• ColorOfChange.org

• A Framework for Action in Response to Moments of Outrage & Crisis – OF/BY/FOR ALL

• Why Am I Always Being Researched? A Guidebook For Community Organizations, Researchers, & Funders to Help Us Get From Insufficient Understanding to More Authentic Truth – Chicago Beyond

• Diversity and Inclusion – The Inclusive Historian's Handbook

• Social Justice & Museums Resource List – Initiated and edited by Tanya S. Autry, @artstuffmatters

• Racial Equity Resources – The Incluseum

• Undoing Racism® Workshops – The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond (PISAB)

• National Police Accountability Project

• "Museums, White Privilege, and Diversity: A Systemic Perspective" by Gretchen Jennings and Joanne Jones-Rizzi

• “Activating Diversity and Inclusion: A Blueprint for Museum Educators as Allies and Change Makers” by Wendy Ng, Syrus Marcus Ware, and Alyssa Greenberg

• "Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research, and Practice" by Geneva Gay

• Official George Floyd Memorial Fund

• Justice for Breonna Taylor Official Fund

• I Run With Maud Official Fund

• National Association of Black Journalists Fund 

ACTIVATE & MAINTAIN DIVERSITY & INCLUSION WITHIN YOUR INSTITUTION

• The Second Responders: How Restorative HR Makes Workplaces More Inclusive And Equitable – Forbes

• Reopening with Equity in Mind: Opportunities for Culturally Relevant Practice in Museums – Association of Children's Museum (ACM)

• Museum As Site for Social Action Toolkit – MASS ACTION

• The Second Responders: How Restorative HR Makes Workplaces More Inclusive And Equitable – Forbes

• For Museum Leaders Who Want to Do Better – American Alliance of Museums (AAM)

• The Arc of Accessibility Work in Museum Education – Museum Education Roundtable

• A Museum Manifesto for a More Equitable Future – American Alliance of Museums (AAM)

• Racial Equity Tools – RacialEquityTools.org

• Interrogating Institutional Practices in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Lessons and Recommendations from Case Studies in Eight Art Museums

• Next Practices in Diversity and Inclusion – Association of Art Museum Directors

• Asian American Racial Justice Toolkit – AsianAmToolkit.org

• LGBTQ Alliance Welcome Guidelines for Museums – American Alliance of Museums (AAM)

HOW TO TALK ABOUT RACE + RACIAL IDENTITY WITH YOUR STAFF, VISITORS, & COMMUNITY MEMBERS

Museum leaders, directors, and managers – these resources can help you create and sustain productive dialogue about race within the workplace.

• How Organizations Can Support the Mental Health of Black Employees – Harvard Business Review

• Talking About Race Web Portal – National Museum of African American History and Culture

• Talking About Race – National Museum of African American History and Culture

• How To Have Conversations About Race At Work – Forbes

• How Should You Be Talking With Employees About Racism? – Entrepreneur

READINESS ASSESSMENTS

The following assessments are designed to help you, your staff, and board determine where your institution stands now with respect to your journey towards a more just future.

• Museum As Site for Social Action Readiness Assessment – MASS Action

• Racial Equity Readiness Assessment For Workforce Development – Race Forward

• Tool for Organizational Self-Assessment Related to Racial Equity –  Coalition of Communities of Color and All Hands Raised

HOW TO MEASURE YOUR MUSEUM'S SOCIAL IMPACT

• What is our museum’s social impact? –  Article by Medium on the Oakland Museum of California (OMCA)

• How can you measure the social impact of museums and celebrate the successes of programs and initiatives? – MuseumNext

• Methods for Measuring Social Impact: Measuring Socially Engaged Practice – Museums Association

• What is our museum’s social impact? – American Alliance of Museums (AAM)

SAMPLE DIVERSITY & INCLUSION STATEMENTS

Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) statements provide the theoretical grounding for change. Yet, in this moment, we must move beyond words and commit to REAL, actionable change. Here are a few example D&I statements:

• Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose Welcoming Statement

• University of California Regents: Policy on Diversity

• Kaiser Permanente: Diversity and Inclusion

• IBM: Diversity & Inclusion Statement

• CISCO: Inclusion & Collaboration Statement