Following the death of George Floyd, York Museums Trust made a statement of solidarity and defiance against systemic racism and the part museums and galleries have to play in fighting this through questioning and provoking debate. For us this was a statement of intent, to challenge and change the way we think as an organisation, to rigorously examine the stories we tell and give a voice to those which have been dismissed or hidden.

As a Trust we had already started to do this through our programming of exhibitions and events in recent years, but we acknowledge we are just at the beginning of the significant culture change we hope to make.

Since making this statement we have set up a diversity group which will conduct a thorough audit led by our trustees. The findings of this will be used as a starting point to begin discussions and conversations with everyone who works at the Trust. It is only by involving everyone that we can create a shared vision that is then implemented in every single aspect of how we run the charity and share our collections.

The progress so far has been hampered by the fact that only a handful of the Trust’s staff have been working for the last four months, with more than 80% furloughed as the Trust tries to survive financially during this incredibly challenging time.  As more return, we will continue on this journey to make meaningful change within our organisation.

#blacklivesmatter