The NOMN Vision
The past is prologue
We believe in the necessity of identifying, examining and dismantling the systems of oppression endemic to museums. This oppression - be it classism, colonialism or white supremacy - is both historic and ongoing and we, as museum employees, are both participants and benefactors. We are also all harmed, in various degrees, by these systems. How do we create personal, institutional and collective accountability? How do we support each other in healing? As we dismantle these systems, how can we build towards liberation? Our histories provide guiding examples of radical restructuring if we are willing to look and listen.
The present is historic
Between the ongoing realities of the global pandemic and the movement for Black lives, it is clear there is no ‘returning to normal.’ Museums can no longer shield themselves with the myth of neutrality; they cannot claim ignorance or ‘apolitical’ status. The way we navigate space has changed, the inequities of our work environments have been exposed and the legacies and monuments of racism and colonialism are being torn down. As museum employees it is our duty to embrace this reckoning and become stewards of social change. We must tear down the barriers and let in this new, transforming vision of the world.
The future is now
In order for museums to progress, they cannot remain as they are. They need to be radically re-imagined. They are changing; they have already changed. We must move beyond ‘diversity and inclusion’ and learn to transform our institutions into anti-racist, anti-oppressive sites of social action, collective freedom and complex cultural heritage. We must center and be led by Black, Indigeneous and POC voices and narratives. This is not an option, it is imperative. We must be fully present and engaged with our transforming world in order to survive.