The Global Museum and the Museum Studies Program support and stand with the Black community and all communities of color.
Our mission is to serve as a responsible steward of cultural heritage, a place of scholarship, community, and engagement, and a space in which to appreciate the power of diverse communities in a globally-connected world. We adhere to the mission statement of SF State, which includes an unwavering commitment to social justice.
Black Lives Matter.
George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery are only a few of the many Black people who have been killed, murdered, or lost their lives due to systemic racism. The Global Museum and the Museum Studies Program stand in solidarity with demands for change.
Museums are not neutral.
Our Museum Studies curriculum centers on critically examining the history of our discipline. We acknowledge the colonial history of the museum field and lack of diversity in museums worldwide, and are committed to making that information more transparent through our courses, tours, programs, and exhibitions.
Museums must be for everyone.
We aspire to be a resource for emerging museum professionals who have the power to enact change in our field. The Global Museum serves as a teaching lab for the Museum Studies Program and the campus community at SF State, one of the most diverse universities in the country, training the next generation of museum professionals beginning at the undergraduate level.
We are still learning and we still have work to do.
As educators, we feel that one thing we can do to help is to share information about anti-racism and diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion resources and statements from both the university and the greater museum community.
Help us grow our working list and send an email with your contributions.
Antiracist Resources
San Francisco State University Statements and Resources
- Message from SF State President Lynn Mahoney
- Letter in Solidarity and Support for Black Communities within and Beyond SF State from Associated Students
- Message from Estuary and Ocean Science Center, one of our Climate Stories exhibition partners
- SF State Division of Equity and Community Inclusion
- Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
- The Black Unity Center
Museum Resources
- National Museum of African American History and Culture Toolkit for Talking About Race
- MASS Action Toolkit
- Museum Hue
- Museum Hue's A working draft of Scaffolded Antiracist Resources
- American Alliance of Museums Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion website
- Statement from Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III
- AAM Museum Magazine article “Is that Hung White?”
- The Incluseum
- ArtNews initiatives for the Black Lives Matter movement
- Curriculum guide for Teaching Black Lives Matter at school
- Anguish and Action from the Obama Foundation