Museums Today: Advocating for Diversity and Inclusion in Museum Boards
Wednesday, February 16, 2022, 6pm EST
Visit The George Washington University Museum’s Vimeo page by clicking here to access this recorded session.
Omar Eaton-Martinez discussed advocating for change in museums’ boards of trustees. Eaton-Martinez will share some of the lessons learned working with the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) to implement the pilot program “Facing Change: Advancing Museum Board Diversity and Inclusion” – an unprecedented national initiative to diversify museum boards and leadership.
A key finding of AAM’s commissioned report Museum Board Leadership 2017 was that museum directors and board chairs believe in diversity and inclusion, but have not taken the time to strategically address the issues. Eaton-Martinez and the other Diversity Fellows provided tailored support for the 55 museum boards participating in the pilot program. Through a systematic, multi-tiered effort, “Facing Change” aims to catalyze museum leaders to develop and implement measurable plans and practices across the field.
In this talk, Eaton-Martinez also discussed the status of DEAI and the career landscape for those entering museum professions.
About Omar Eaton-Martinez
Omar Eaton-Martinez leads the Prince George’s County Historical Resources, which include historical house museums, an aviation museum, a mobile museum, the Black History Program and archeological parks. He has had leading roles in racial equity organizations including Museums and Race: Transformation and Justice, and Museum Hue, and participated in the Museum as Site for Social Action project. Eaton-Martinez was also an AAM DEAI Facing Change Senior Fellow and is a gubernatorial appointee to the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission. His research focuses on the intersections of museums and race. Omar is the host of The Museum J.E.D.I. Show podcast that has discussions on the intersections of museums and social justice.
About the Museums Today Series
Each month during the academic year, museum leaders lead lively online discussions about critical issues in the field. This series is presented in partnership with The George Washington University Museums. Browse upcoming programs
