PACA stands with Black conservators to demand racial justice in art conservation and support #BlackLivesMatter. We would like to draw attention to the powerful and honest statement written by our Black conservation colleagues, and ask all in the cultural heritage profession to reflect seriously on what solidarity looks like.
Join Black Conservators and Demand Racial Justice in Art Conservation
July 13, 2020
We, Black art conservators, stand in support of #BlackLivesMatter. Our hearts go out to the family and friends of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Dreasjon Sean Reed, Manuel Ellis, Rayshard Brooks, Elijah McClain, and the countless other Black lives that have been lost due to police brutality and systemic oppression. We share in the feelings of fear, frustration, anger, grief, pain, and loss that Black communities are experiencing currently and have felt for years. We see how Black lives are dehumanized chronically in our society, and how too many museums and cultural heritage institutions perpetuate this dehumanization. Conservators help shape what our society values by making decisions on what to preserve, whom to include in our work, and therefore whose stories we remember. We, conservators, must hold ourselves, our field, and our institutions accountable for the long-term, systemic failure to uplift Black voices and document the Black experience truthfully.
We do not accept the inconsequential statements of solidarity that some cultural heritage institutions continue to make today. Many ineffectual promises of diversity and inclusion have been made over the decades while also tolerating or allowing the institutional erasure of the history, culture, art, and labor of Black communities. A statement of solidarity means nothing without a commitment to immediate and long-term action. We are encouraged by those allied colleagues who finally are recognizing this and who have been speaking out for the need to transform our field. To best support Black communities one must advocate for all BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) as we all continue to experience discrimination and none of us can be left behind. True BIPOC solidarity would mean that conservators immediately:
ACKNOWLEDGE the ways in which they are complicit in and continue to benefit from white supremacy, colonialism, and systemic racism.
ADDRESS the lack of diversity in positions of leadership in conservation, which has resulted in a lack of cultural context for museum collections and contributes to the devaluation of BIPOC cultures.
ENACT systematic change at every level in conservation by intentionally uplifting the voices and life experiences of BIPOC staff members, students, allied professionals, and artists.
INVEST in the preservation, research, and visibility of BIPOC material culture.
CALL for Confederate statues and other racist monuments to be removed from public squares. Support BIPOC communities’ agency to decide how and if these monuments should be preserved or interpreted.
BUILD independent, robust, and responsive structures by which racist incidents and aggressions experienced by conservators in the workplace can be reported safely and addressed swiftly in ways that support BIPOC.
ENGAGE with BIPOC communities by listening to their experiences and partnering with them in reciprocal relationships that advance the preservation of BIPOC material culture – making the same communities feel welcomed, valued, and heard.
REVIEW the salary ranges of conservators at their institution and ensure that BIPOC employees receive equitable pay. Cease the practice of offering unpaid internships.
Conservators must take immediate action to destroy the oppressive environment existing at cultural institutions based on the false tenet of white supremacy and eliminate systemic racism across the entirety of our field. It is long overdue for us to take giant leaps towards racial justice and truly begin to transform the field.
---
Last week, two Black trans women were murdered: Riah Milton in Ohio and Dominique “Rem’Mie” Fells right here in Philadelphia. These deaths have not occurred in a vacuum - the history of state violence and institutional racism in America have created the state of injustice we see today. The PACA board members stand in solidarity with Black communities and state unequivocally: Black lives matter.
We would like to share and support the recent statement by AIC’s Equity and Inclusion Committee (below). We will also be launching a matching donation campaign to support local Black organizations. Stay tuned for more details soon.
We are creating and updating this dedicated page on our website to house resources on how to further anti-racist work and contribute to tangible changes within your organization.
PACA Board, 6/18/20
The Equity & Inclusion Committee condemns the institutional racism and acts of state violence that continue to occur towards black and brown communities, feeding the flames of injustice in this country. We stand with Black communities to demand accountability for the death of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and countless others from law enforcement, to condemn racism, and to dismantle oppressive systems. #BlackLivesMatter
We would like to follow up on the American Institute for Conservation (AIC) Board’s statement of June 1, 2020. As a committee working to improve the role of AIC at the intersection of culture and community, we recognize that a truly inclusive field cannot exist until we are committed to advancing historically excluded populations in our profession.
The violent response to protest coupled with the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on the Black community and other people of color has made navigating the hostile national terrain an even heavier burden to bear. We need to examine the values and structures in this country, including the systems in place in our profession and cultural institutions, and we must push our profession to be better.
We encourage the conservation and preservation community to reflect on the ways in which we have contributed to the upholding of racial injustice and take action to remove the systemic barriers that have served to exclude people of color from full participation in our field and society.
AIC Equity & Inclusion Committee, 6/3/2020
Join Black Conservators and Demand Racial Justice in Art Conservation
July 13, 2020
We, Black art conservators, stand in support of #BlackLivesMatter. Our hearts go out to the family and friends of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Dreasjon Sean Reed, Manuel Ellis, Rayshard Brooks, Elijah McClain, and the countless other Black lives that have been lost due to police brutality and systemic oppression. We share in the feelings of fear, frustration, anger, grief, pain, and loss that Black communities are experiencing currently and have felt for years. We see how Black lives are dehumanized chronically in our society, and how too many museums and cultural heritage institutions perpetuate this dehumanization. Conservators help shape what our society values by making decisions on what to preserve, whom to include in our work, and therefore whose stories we remember. We, conservators, must hold ourselves, our field, and our institutions accountable for the long-term, systemic failure to uplift Black voices and document the Black experience truthfully.
We do not accept the inconsequential statements of solidarity that some cultural heritage institutions continue to make today. Many ineffectual promises of diversity and inclusion have been made over the decades while also tolerating or allowing the institutional erasure of the history, culture, art, and labor of Black communities. A statement of solidarity means nothing without a commitment to immediate and long-term action. We are encouraged by those allied colleagues who finally are recognizing this and who have been speaking out for the need to transform our field. To best support Black communities one must advocate for all BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) as we all continue to experience discrimination and none of us can be left behind. True BIPOC solidarity would mean that conservators immediately:
ACKNOWLEDGE the ways in which they are complicit in and continue to benefit from white supremacy, colonialism, and systemic racism.
ADDRESS the lack of diversity in positions of leadership in conservation, which has resulted in a lack of cultural context for museum collections and contributes to the devaluation of BIPOC cultures.
ENACT systematic change at every level in conservation by intentionally uplifting the voices and life experiences of BIPOC staff members, students, allied professionals, and artists.
INVEST in the preservation, research, and visibility of BIPOC material culture.
CALL for Confederate statues and other racist monuments to be removed from public squares. Support BIPOC communities’ agency to decide how and if these monuments should be preserved or interpreted.
BUILD independent, robust, and responsive structures by which racist incidents and aggressions experienced by conservators in the workplace can be reported safely and addressed swiftly in ways that support BIPOC.
ENGAGE with BIPOC communities by listening to their experiences and partnering with them in reciprocal relationships that advance the preservation of BIPOC material culture – making the same communities feel welcomed, valued, and heard.
REVIEW the salary ranges of conservators at their institution and ensure that BIPOC employees receive equitable pay. Cease the practice of offering unpaid internships.
Conservators must take immediate action to destroy the oppressive environment existing at cultural institutions based on the false tenet of white supremacy and eliminate systemic racism across the entirety of our field. It is long overdue for us to take giant leaps towards racial justice and truly begin to transform the field.
---
Last week, two Black trans women were murdered: Riah Milton in Ohio and Dominique “Rem’Mie” Fells right here in Philadelphia. These deaths have not occurred in a vacuum - the history of state violence and institutional racism in America have created the state of injustice we see today. The PACA board members stand in solidarity with Black communities and state unequivocally: Black lives matter.
We would like to share and support the recent statement by AIC’s Equity and Inclusion Committee (below). We will also be launching a matching donation campaign to support local Black organizations. Stay tuned for more details soon.
We are creating and updating this dedicated page on our website to house resources on how to further anti-racist work and contribute to tangible changes within your organization.
PACA Board, 6/18/20
The Equity & Inclusion Committee condemns the institutional racism and acts of state violence that continue to occur towards black and brown communities, feeding the flames of injustice in this country. We stand with Black communities to demand accountability for the death of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and countless others from law enforcement, to condemn racism, and to dismantle oppressive systems. #BlackLivesMatter
We would like to follow up on the American Institute for Conservation (AIC) Board’s statement of June 1, 2020. As a committee working to improve the role of AIC at the intersection of culture and community, we recognize that a truly inclusive field cannot exist until we are committed to advancing historically excluded populations in our profession.
The violent response to protest coupled with the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on the Black community and other people of color has made navigating the hostile national terrain an even heavier burden to bear. We need to examine the values and structures in this country, including the systems in place in our profession and cultural institutions, and we must push our profession to be better.
We encourage the conservation and preservation community to reflect on the ways in which we have contributed to the upholding of racial injustice and take action to remove the systemic barriers that have served to exclude people of color from full participation in our field and society.
AIC Equity & Inclusion Committee, 6/3/2020
Current and Upcoming Action Items
PACA Match Donation Campaign - PACA is hosting a donation campaign to support local causes. Please consider making a donation to the following organizations:
PACA community virtual meeting - Upcoming meeting will focus on how to facilitate conversations about racism in a productive and impactful way.
- The Colored Girls Museum and Paul Robeson House
- Historic Dox Thrash House
- Marian Anderson Historical Society
PACA community virtual meeting - Upcoming meeting will focus on how to facilitate conversations about racism in a productive and impactful way.
Resources
Philly Arts for Black Lives
Black Lives Matter Philly
Archives for Black Lives
Resource Sharing Project
National Museum of African American History and Culture’s “Talking About Race” portal
Race, Diversity, and Politics in Conservation by Sanchita Balachandran
Black Lives Matter Philly
Archives for Black Lives
Resource Sharing Project
National Museum of African American History and Culture’s “Talking About Race” portal
Race, Diversity, and Politics in Conservation by Sanchita Balachandran
Donation Ideas
Philadelphia Community Bail Fund
Amistad Law Project
George Floyd Memorial Fund
Run with Maud
Justice for Breonna
Unicorn Riot
National Bail Out
Black Visions Collective
Campaign Zero
Reclaim the Block
The Innocence Project
Amistad Law Project
George Floyd Memorial Fund
Run with Maud
Justice for Breonna
Unicorn Riot
National Bail Out
Black Visions Collective
Campaign Zero
Reclaim the Block
The Innocence Project
Find and Contact your Representatives
City of Philadelphia Office of Engagement
Pennsylvania General Assembly
PA Congressional Representatives
Pennsylvania General Assembly
PA Congressional Representatives
Petitions
Organizations to Follow
Color of Change
The Conscious Kid
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
Showing Up for Racial Justice
Families Belong Together
United We Dream
MPowerchange
The Leadership Conference
Equal Justice Initiative
SisterSong
The Conscious Kid
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
Showing Up for Racial Justice
Families Belong Together
United We Dream
MPowerchange
The Leadership Conference
Equal Justice Initiative
SisterSong
Reading List
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
