Lecture and Discussion with
J. Robert Harris, Chair, DEI Committee, Explorers Club
Please enjoy the September 7, 2022 recorded lecture and discussion with explorer J. Robert Harris, Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee at the Explorers Club in New York City.
Black Lives Matter:
The Arctic Museum’s
Plan for Moving Forward
In support of the Black Lives Matter Movement, the staff of the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum has been reflecting upon our institutional history and what we can do moving forward to better promote Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) voices, and to actively combat the white supremacy imbedded in our society.
We acknowledge that we are currently an all-white permanent staff at a predominantly white institution of higher education. The idea of the modern museum itself, as originally conceived, is a racist, colonial enterprise, and our particular museum is named for and owes its origin to two individuals who operated within colonial and racist frameworks.
For a long time, Arctic Museum staff have understood that museums are not neutral, and we have prioritized anticolonial practices and programming. Nevertheless, we recognize the reality that much more is needed.
The museum's complete statement and action items can be found here.
