The emergence of the video of police officers killing George Floyd reignited the campaign for Black Lives Matter across the United States of America. While Floyd’s death was just one of the many in a long list of similar incidents common across America, this particular death has ignited sustained protests across the United States and the globe.
In response to global protests, there has been increased pressure on organisations to address racial inequities within their organisation, and to offer their support for the Black Lives Matter movement through their digital communication platforms.
Museums have not been exempt from this pressure, yet they have varied in how effectively they handled this call to action. Some museums heeded the call to action with great success, while others inadvertently rubbed salt into the wounds.
Some museums have got it right
The Museum of London utilised their platform to join the fight against holding up oppressors of black populations as icons worthy of praise and accolades. They have used their platform to denounce the statue of a prominent British Slave trader, Robert Milligan, that stands outside their museum. They have covered the statue in a shroud and placed a Black Lives Matter placard in his arms. They will not remove these additions until the statue is removed, and this man is no longer presented as a pillar of society.
The Museum of London did more than talk the talk, they walked the walk. Rather than just using their words to express their dissatisfaction of the memorials to oppressors, the Museum of London has taken action in the form of making the statue a symbol of protest and solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Other museums used digital media to assist the Black Lives Matter protesters directly.
The campaign #openyourlobby asked for organisations to open their spaces to provide bathrooms for people protesting, and the Brooklyn Museum answered the call.
But not all museums got it right
The Museum of Contemporary Art Denver (MCA Denver) posted on Instagram about breathing deeper, symbolising that breathing deeply was a political act and that we must take care of each other.
However, followers were quick to note that the post was insensitive in a time where the world is gripped by covid-19, a disease which inhibits breathing, and George Floyd’s death was a result of asphyxiation by a police officer.
Later in the day MCA Denver issued a statement apologising for their earlier post and presenting a stronger opposition to police brutality against black people and support for the BLM cause. However, the damage to their reputation was already done.
Similarly, The British Museum has come under fire for talk, but no actions.
The British Museum posted a statement by Director Hartwig Fischer which denounced injustices against Black communities worldwide and signalled the British Museum would endeavour to change its practices.
However, followers, such as historian Geoffrey Robertson, noted that the British Museum’s collection was built on injustices and collected through nefarious means. And that rather than just seeking to diversify their collection, the British Museum should return stolen artefacts to their original locations in Nigeria, Greece and Easter Island.
It is challenging for people to believe the words of support conveyed by the British Museum when they continue to hold items in their collection that were stolen and when the current Director Fischer strongly opposes the return of their stolen collections. Until the British Museum acknowledges their collection as problematic and makes inroads in returning the stolen goods the posts on social media are substance less, simply empty sentiments.
Museums have made strides in improving diversity in the past few years, but they are still overwhelmingly White, and it is this ‘Whiteness’ that likely led to MCA Denver’s poor judgement in their original post and the criticisms levelled at the British Museum.
These poor social media reactions by museums should be seen as a lesson in why diversity is essential in the workplace.
Where to now for museums?
Museums have used their platforms to show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, but until they take real action, social media posts will be seen as empty symbols that arguably achieve nothing more than growing resentment towards institutions that continue to present the white narrative of history.
To move in the right direction, museums can look at taking these three steps:
- Returning stolen pieces to their original locations, or adequately compensate the communities the pieces come from.
- Building a diverse workforce through hiring practices and signalling to employees that diversity is valued.
- Diversifying art by presenting more works by people of colour.
Curatorial Compass 
Really interesting information. Thank you
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