There is joy in the anti-racism journey
George Floyd, Breonna Tayler, Ahmaud Arbery and Tony McDade are only the most recent names added to a long list of black men, women, and LGBTQI people who have become victims of racial violence. It is not a struggle that is new for today. It is a burden and pain felt since the founding of the United States of America.
However, to change this narrative, it requires learning and inward thinking and assessment. Each of us needs to begin our inner journey toward awareness that systemic racism is threaded throughout our society and that it is built to privilege white people. It takes daily work because we are coded for this norm. It is insidious. And when you peel back the layers of your journey, there is pain, confusion, denial and so much more that often stops us from even starting the change.
As
a white woman, I have been on this journey for many years now. I can
assure you it takes daily, committed work to serve my organization and
the people in my life with anti-racist intention and impact. And when
you do the work, it is joyful. Joyful because
of the new ways you begin to see the world, the new voices who will
enter your thinking and action, and the new understandings and
approaches you adopt that have a deeper meaning for the people in your
life and those you serve.
When
I joined the Illinois State Museum in September 2019, it was in great
part because of their stated commitment to diversity, equity,
accessibility and inclusion and to adopting decolonizing museum
practice. This intention is demonstrated in the museum’s strategic plan
and was shared by the wonderful folks who welcomed me to this new role.
Together, we are learning and growing as we assess, understand and adopt
inclusive museum practice. We have a long road ahead and a deep history
that will need to be examined and reconciled.
In
the fall, we formed staff teams to begin building awareness and to take
inventory of the museum’s presence and past so that we can imagine an
inclusive future. This spring, we engaged in an inclusion assessment
process that has identified our opportunities for change. When our
commitment is manifest, new faces and new stories will be found at the
Illinois State Museum. We are beginning our institutional journey, and I
hope you’ll check in on our progress along the way.
As
the next days, weeks and months evolve, my wish for all of us is that
we take a moment to breathe. In that breath, I hope you also ask
questions of yourself. Why do I think this? Why am I angry? Why do I
feel the need to fight? What do I not know? As you exhale, I hope you
emerge curious and willing to connect with this historic moment and join
me, my museum colleagues, and the nation as we acknowledge that we can
all do more to heal the past and build an equitable future.
Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko is director of the Illinois State Museum.
