Holding Ourselves Accountable
Dear Gibson House Museum and Nichols House Museum communities,
We write today to state firmly and unequivocally that the Gibson and Nichols House Museums condemn systemic racism and police violence. We stand in solidarity with the protestors and activists who are expressing our collective grief and righteous anger over the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Nina Pop, and Tony McDade and so many more. Their lives mattered and all Black Lives Matter.
Historic house museums are a place for engaging with new ideas and connecting our own stories to larger narratives that stretch backwards in time. History is an essential tool to make sense of these complicated, many-layered narratives and put our present-day experiences in context.
However, historic house museums have long excluded certain stories from the history we tell. Black communities and individuals are one of the groups too often underrepresented or misrepresented in our spaces. Museums are not neutral and white privilege has long shaped our institutions.
There is real work to be done. We must further reflect on our complacency and educate ourselves, we must put inclusive history at the center of our museums, and we must ensure our institutions are welcoming spaces for everyone in our community. Along with our staff and boards, we also encourage all members of our museums and communities to join us in this work.
We promise to work harder and do better and we are here to listen to you as we do so. Please feel free to reach out to us. Museums are only as strong as the communities they serve.
Thank you ArtStuffMatters for reminding us that #MuseumsAreNotNeutral.
Thank you to our staff and communities for holding us accountable in this work.
Thank you protestors and activists who continually shed light on these injustices.
Sincerely,
Gibson House Museum
Nichols House Museum