Equity and Justice Commitments
The legacy of racial injustice in this country toward Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) have made clear that organizations need to be deliberate about their efforts toward diversity, inclusivity, and ultimately equity.We recognize the role the museum field has played in white-washing history and creating a narrative that has centered the story of white people. As a history museum and public-facing educational institution, we at the Capital Jewish Museum must do our part to build an inclusive, multi-racial democracy, teach difficult histories, and work to foster an anti-racist society.
The commitments outlined below will serve as a living document, holding us accountable as we shape our new museum and continuing long after we open our doors.
The Capital Jewish Museum commits to:
- Acknowledge, with humility, the Piscataway and Nacotchtank (aka Nacostine & Anacostan) peoples as the traditional custodians of the land on which the museum resides.
- Diversify our staff and board by broadening recruitment to reflect the greater community and maintaining transparency about the current diversity of those groups.
- Intentional and continual institutional learning among the staff and board; having difficult but necessary conversations related to unlearning unconscious bias both individually and in museum practice.
- Diversify the museum’s stories by educating ourselves through collaborations with and learning from historians of color, taking a historical consideration to the relationships between the Black, Muslim, and Jewish communities in Washington, and how we engage with Jews of Color today.
- Diversify the communities we serve by working with and uplifting our neighborhood, and creating meaningful and mutually beneficial partnerships with regional BIPOC organizations.
- Acknowledge and respond to the decades-long gentrification of the city and CJM’s subsequent success by teaching this history through walking tours and public programs, and working with groups to support communities affected by the changing landscape.
צֶֶ֥דֶק צֶֶ֖דֶק תִּרְדף
Justice Justice You Shall Pursue