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 for moving foward, and reaffirm a commitment to DEAI practices.

Educational + Actionable Resources  •  DEAI + The Role of Museums

Activate + Maintain DEAI 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

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.

• BlackLivesMatter.org

• ColorOfChange.org

• Official George Floyd Memorial Fund

• Justice for Breonna Taylor Official Fund

• I Run With Maud Official Fund

• National Association of Black Journalists Fund

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

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

• National Police Accountability Project

• Black Lives Matter Resources – Shangri La: Museum of Islamic Art, Culture, & Design

• A Chronical of Racism in America podcast series - Episode 1: Desire, Prosperity, Fortune, Hope – VOX

• "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 

DEAI + THE ROLE OF MUSEUMS

• Hammer Curator Erin Christovale on How Museums Can Support Social Justice – Hammer Museum, KCET article

• Facing Change: Insights from AAM’s DEAI Working Group – AAM

• National Landscape Study: DEAI Practices in Museums – CCLI

• What Is DEAI, and How Can Evaluation Be Used to Promote this Work? – AAM

• Doing the Work: A Discussion on Visioning and Realizing Racial Equity in Museum – Journal of Museum Education

• Museums, White Privilege, and Diversity: A Systemic Perspective – Museum Commons

• Museum As Site for Social Action Toolkit – MASS ACTION

• Racism, Unrest, and the Role of the Museum Field – AAM Virtual Conference Special Session (Webinar Recording)

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

ACTIVATE + MAINTAIN DEAI WITHIN YOUR INSTITUTION

Now, more than ever, we – museum professionals, leaders, and educators – must move beyond simple statements and words, and commit to REAL, progressive, actionable change within our own institutions and the greater museum field.

• A Museum Manifesto for a More Equitable Future – AAM

• Racial Equity Resources – The Incluseum

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

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

• 5 Inclusive Workplace Practices For Your Remote Team – We Work Remotely

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

• Diversity And Inclusion: A Complete Guide For HR Professionals – Ideal

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

• 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

• Racial Equity Tools – RacialEquityTools.org

• LGBTQ Alliance Welcome Guidelines for Museums – AAM

• Diversity and Inclusion – The Inclusive Historian's Handbook

• Can Remote Workforces Improve Diversity and Inclusion? – HR Exchange Network 

HOW TO TALK ABOUT RACE + RACIAL IDENTITY

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

• For Museum Leaders Who Want to Do Better – AAM

• Diversity Toolkit: A Guide to Discussing Identity, Power and Privilege – MSW@USC

• 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 Statements provide the theoretical grounding for change. Here, you'll find resources on how to write the perfect statement, along with a few examples of D&I statements from both within and outside of the museum industry.

• Examples of Values Statements with Commitments to Diversity/Inclusiveness – The Denver Foundation

• Writing a Diversity and Inclusion Statement: How to Get It Right – U.S. Chamber of Commerce

• Craft the Perfect Diversity Statement for Your Organization – Learning Hub

• Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion – AAM

• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the Museum – American Museum of Natural History

• Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion – Earthjustice

• Welcoming Statement – Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose

• Policy on Diversity – University of California Regents

• Diversity and Inclusion – Kaiser Permanente

• Diversity & Inclusion Statement – IBM

• Inclusion & Collaboration Statement – CISCO

Do you have diversity & inclusion resources you'd like to add?

Please share with us at communications@westmuse.org.

These resources are subject to change and will be updated as new information becomes available.

We're all in this together. #StayHealthy #StaySafe #TogetherButSafelyApart