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 museums address and reaffirm their commitment to diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI), and to develop concrete action plans for moving forward.
PAGE INDEX
DEAI + The Role of Museums • Activate + Maintain DEAI Within Your Institution
How to Talk About Race + Racial Identity • Sample Diversity + Inclusion Statements
Readiness Assessments • How to Measure Your Museum's Social Impact
DEAI Reading Material • Actionable Resources
DEAI + THE ROLE OF MUSEUMS
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Facing Change: Insights from AAM’s DEAI Working Group – American Alliance of Museums
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What Is DEAI, and How Can Evaluation Be Used to Promote this Work? – American Alliance of Museums
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Doing the Work: A Discussion on Visioning and Realizing Racial Equity in Museum – Journal of Museum Education
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Museums, White Privilege, and Diversity: A Systemic Perspective – Museum Commons
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Racism, Unrest, and the Role of the Museum Field – AAM Virtual Conference Special Session (Webinar Recording)
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The Arc of Accessibility Work in Museum Education – Museum Education Roundtable
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Hammer Curator Erin Christovale on How Museums Can Support Social Justice – Hammer Museum, KCET article
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.
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Audiences and Inclusion: A Primer for Cultivating More Inclusive Attitudes Among the Public – American Alliance of Museums
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A Museum Manifesto for a More Equitable Future – American Alliance of Museums
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Reopening with Equity in Mind: Opportunities for Culturally Relevant Practice in Museums – Association of Children's Museum
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Next Practices in Diversity and Inclusion – Association of Art Museum Directors
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Social Justice & Museums Resource List – Initiated and edited by Tanya S. Autry, @artstuffmatters
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5 Inclusive Workplace Practices For Your Remote Team – We Work Remotely
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Diversity And Inclusion: A Complete Guide For HR Professionals – Ideal
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LGBTQ Alliance Welcome Guidelines for Museums – American Alliance of Museums
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Diversity and Inclusion – The Inclusive Historian's Handbook
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How Translations Can Promote Diversity and Inclusion at Museums – Eriksen Translations
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A Guidebook For Community Organizations, Researchers, & Funders to Help Us Get From Insufficient Understanding to More Authentic Truth – Chicago Beyond
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Racial Equity Tools – RacialEquityTools.org
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How to Start an Accessibility Movement at Your Museum – American Alliance of Museums
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Accessibility Resources for Museums & Museum Professionals – Access Smithsonian
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Accessibility Resources – Museum, Arts and Culture Access Consortium
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Accessibility Resources – Chicago Cultural Accessibility Consortium
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Accessible & Inclusive Museums—How Small Measures Add Up – Eriksen Translations
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Inclusive Digital Interactives: Best Practices & Research – Access Smithsonian, Institute for Human Centered Design, + MuseWeb
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Virtual Event Accessibility Resources – National Endowment for the Arts
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Web Accessibility Standards – World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) + Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
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10 Best Practices of Accessible Museum Websites – American Alliance of Museums
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How Translation Helps Museums Promote Intergenerational Learning – Eriksen Translations
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How Can We Make Volunteer Programs More Inclusive and Accessible? – American Alliance of Museums
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.
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For Museum Leaders Who Want to Do Better – American Alliance of Museums
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Diversity Toolkit: A Guide to Discussing Identity, Power and Privilege – MSW@USC
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How Organizations Can Support the Mental Health of Black Employees – Harvard Business Review
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Talking About Race Web Portal – National Museum of African American History and Culture
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Talking About Race – National Museum of African American History and Culture
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How Should You Be Talking With Employees About Racism? – Entrepreneur
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 from within and outside the museum industry.
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Writing a Diversity and Inclusion Statement: How to Get It Right – U.S. Chamber of Commerce
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Craft the Perfect Diversity Statement for Your Organization – Learning Hub
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Examples of Values Statements with Commitments to Diversity/Inclusiveness – The Denver Foundation
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Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion – American Alliance of Museums
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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the Museum – American Museum of Natural History
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Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion – Earthjustice
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Welcoming Statement – Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose
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Policy on Diversity – University of California Regents
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Diversity and Inclusion – Kaiser Permanente
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.
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Museum As Site for Social Action Readiness Assessment – MASS Action
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Racial Equity Readiness Assessment For Workforce Development – Race Forward
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Tool for Organizational Self-Assessment Related to Racial Equity – Coalition of Communities of Color + All Hands Raised
HOW TO MEASURE YOUR MUSEUM'S SOCIAL IMPACT
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What is our museum’s social impact? – Article by Medium on the Oakland Museum of California
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How can you measure the social impact of museums and celebrate the successes of programs and initiatives? – MuseumNext
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Methods for Measuring Social Impact: Measuring Socially Engaged Practice – Museums Association
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What is our museum’s social impact? – American Alliance of Museums
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Museum As Site for Social Action Toolkit – MASS ACTION
DEAI Reading Material
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"Museums, White Privilege, and Diversity: A Systemic Perspective" by Gretchen Jennings and Joanne Jones-Rizzi
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“Activating Diversity and Inclusion: A Blueprint for Museum Educators as Allies and Change Makers” by Wendy Ng, Syrus Marcus Ware, and Alyssa Greenberg
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"Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research, and Practice" by Geneva Gay
ACTIONABLE RESOURCES
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.
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A Framework for Action in Response to Moments of Outrage & Crisis – OF/BY/FOR ALL
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Undoing Racism® Workshops – The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond (PISAB)
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Black Lives Matter Resources – Shangri La: Museum of Islamic Art, Culture, & Design
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.
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