Black Lives Matter: A Message from the National Women's History Museum

For Immediate Release

The National Women's History Museum has paused over the past few weeks to listen and reflect on how we can authentically respond to this critical moment. The recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery have shaken our nation to our core and highlighted the ugly and violent disparities in the safety, well-being, and justice faced by Black Americans-disparities that have existed throughout our country's history. Racism continues to plague this nation, as communities of color are routinely subjected to violence at the hands of power, which is enabled by the shameful silence and inaction of others. 
 
At the National Women's History Museum, we recognize the power of history to engender meaningful dialogue and to inform our future. But history is only as complete as the voices it includes. As an institution fighting for the representation of all women, we work to champion voices that have been traditionally underrepresented and even excluded from the traditional narrative.
 
Diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion are fundamental to our Museum, but we realize that we can, and must, do even more. Our programming, our staff, our organizational culture, our partnerships, and our leadership must better reflect our values. As we move forward this summer, we will lean into the critical work of determining how our renewed commitment will serve our institution and our nation, both internally and externally. We pledge to ensure that these values are embedded in all of our work and all of the history that we present, from staff and leadership to programming, scholarship, and exhibitions.

In the coming months, we will share our progress with you and all of our constituents. Our Museum must be a space to engage in dialogue around contemporary history.
 
Our Museum was not designed to be a passive container of culture; it is a space where we use history to spark imagination, raise courage, ignite possibilities, and engage in thoughtful, meaningful explorations of the history of all women. We will continue our work to ensure that Black and Brown women's voices are not only heard, but listened to and amplified.
 
We are grateful to have a powerful platform in which to tell women's stories, and we recognize our responsibility as a steward of women's history to bear witness by not simply standing in solidarity, but acting in solidarity. 
 
To all of our constituents and communities, let us hear from you. We will not sit on the sidelines. We will listen, and we will act, and we will be held accountable.
 
Black Lives Matter.