Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion in Museums

Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole is a principal consultant with Cook Ross, Inc., a leading firm advising organizations on matters of diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion. She is also a senior consulting fellow at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Dr. Cole previously served as Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and as President of Spelman College and Bennett College. During her long and distinguished career in higher education and the arts, she consistently addresses racial, gender, and all other forms of inequality.Laura L. Lott is the President and CEO of the American Alliance of Museums the only organization representing the entire scope of the museum community. A passionate advocate for strong and engaged boards, as well as diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion in the nonprofit sector, Laura frequently speaks to non-profit and museum boards about governance, strategy, and inclusion.

• Part 1: A Call to Action 1. Flies in the Buttermilk: Museums, Diversity, and the Will to Change Lonnie Bunch 2. Museums, Racism, and the Inclusiveness Chasm Carlos Tortolero3. 2015 American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting Keynote AddressJohnnetta Betsch Cole4. Women's Locker Room Talk: Gender and Leadership in Museums Kaywin FeldmanPart 2: Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion Strategies5. Twin Threats: How Ignorance and Instrumentality Create Inequality and InjusticeDarren Walker6. The Leadership Imperative: Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion as StrategyLaura L. Lott7. History That Promotes Understanding in a Diverse SocietyCinnamon Catlin-Legutko8. Pipeline is a Verb: Field Notes on the Spelman College Curatorial Studies Pilot ProgramAndrea Barnwell Brownlee9. Museums and ADA at 25: Progress and Looking AheadBeth Bienvenu10. Catalyzing Inclusion: Steps Towards Sustainability in MuseumsNatanya Khashan11. It’s Time to Stop and Ask “Why?”Lisa SasakiPart 3: The Necessity and Power of First Person Voices12. Much Has Been Taken, But All is Not Lost: The Restorative Promise of First-Voice RepresentationEduardo Díaz13. No Longer Hiding in Plain SightWilliam Underwood Eiland14. The National Museum of the American Indian: Whence the 'Art Object'W. Richard West, Jr. Part 4: Personal Journeys15. Disability and Innovation: The Universal Benefits of Inclusive DesignHaben Girma16. Maybe This Time: A Personal Journey Toward Racial Equity in MuseumsElaine Gurian17. Museum Musings: Then and NowCecile ShellmanAppendix A: Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion Definitions Appendix B: The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Art Museum Staff Demographic SurveyAppendix C: Museum Board Leadership Report Excerpt – The PeopleAppendix D: Selected Resources

The relevance and importance of this book cannot be understated, and it is an impressive accompaniment to AAM’s online collection of DEAI resources. . . . Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion in Museums promises to be a guide for a new generation of museum leaders; it might be more accurately described as a retroactive reckoning, but nevertheless, it delivers. The lessons of the past are imperative for the future, and it inspires hope that current museum thought leaders have the willingness to be both self-reflective and honest. Museums are embedded in practically every town and city in America, and therefore most libraries would do well to purchase this book. Libraries that have a museology collection, or support museology academic or professional programs, as well as libraries that are connected to museums, should also consider purchasing this book.