The NYT reported a few days ago that the “Museum Workers Walk Out, Describing Exhibit as Aligned With Zionism.” In a May 19 letter, the protesting staff said the “Confronting Hate Together” exhibition damaged community trust and aligned the museum with Zionism. The employees asked that museum leaders “acknowledge the limited perspectives presented in this exhibition. Missing perspectives include those of Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslim communities who are also experiencing an increased amount of violence, scapegoating, and demonization.”
In response there is a petition to reopen the museum as reported in change.org. ” (thanks to Mike C.)
Dear Wing Luke Museum Executive Leadership & Board of Trustees,
We respect Wing Luke Museum’s history of important exhibits, community support, and education. We are grateful for your leadership.
We want to express our admiration for the work that went into creating your exhibit, “Confronting Hate Together,” that explores the hatred that has targeted the Asian, Black, and Jewish communities of Seattle, including the redlining that affected all of these communities together.
By working with the Black Heritage Society of Washington State and the Washington State Jewish Historical Society, you created an exhibit that recognizes the importance of creating space for each of these groups to define their own terms and identities and to describe their own lived experiences.
We are saddened to see that people who are uncomfortable with the exhibit’s acknowledgment of local acts of anti-Jewish hatred have forced its closure. This sets a dangerous precedent.
We know that “Confronting Hate Together” has the power to open a discussion about the ways that we join forces to dismantle these old forms of hatred that still plague us today.
We the undersigned ask you to stay the course, and to re-open “Confronting Hate Together” with its original language intact. We recognize the courage this will require. However, a society that accepts the closure of its cultural institutions in response to discomfort poses a threat to its minorities and democracy for everyone.
We eagerly await the re-opening of “Confronting Hate Together” and the courageous conversations that will follow.
Sincerely,
Your Supporters & Citizens Concerned with Cultural Institutions
p.s. articles for reference:
Seattle Times: Wing Luke Museum Closes After Walkout to Protest Exhibit on Antisemitic Hatred
NY POST: Seattle Museum Shut Down After Walkout to Protest Antisemitic Hatred
Signatures: 3,671 Next Goal: 5,000
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