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ACM Diversity In Action Initiative

The ACM Diversity Initiative began in 2004 with the formation of the Diversity Committee. The Committee is comprised of ACM Board members, ACM staff and other children's museum professionals committed to advancing the inclusiveness and diversity of children's museums. To this end, the Committee took a number of steps to stimulate change in the field.

Click on any of the links below to learn more about the Committee's activities. Want more information? Contact ACM.

The Need for Diversity Statements

The mission for all children's museum comes down to being the "town square for children and families, where play inspires creativity and lifelong learning." As a town square, a children's museum is a place open to all community members. That implies that the children's museum is a welcoming institution for people of all backgrounds.

So why is it important for a children's museum to have a diversity statement? Quite simply, because implications and good intentions are not enough. A diversity statement tells the community at large that the institution will take action and assume accountability.

Is there a one-size fits all diversity statement? No. There are approximately 350 open children's museums around the world, however, each is distinct in its setting, its exhibits and the ways in which each museum reaches out, listens and includes its community.

To help museums create a diversity statement that fits their museum, ACM and the Diversity in Action Commitee has been working with members at InterActivity conferences on draft pledges, polling members on diversity priorities and creating diversity templates. This work has been and continues to an on-going, open process. Anyone wishing to send ACM its museum diversity pledge or constructive feedback about creating a pledge may email ACM.

ACM Diversity Statement Diversity Pledge Template Enacted Museum Diversity Statement

ACM Diversity Statement

On April 27, 2005, the ACM Board approved the ACM Diversity Statement, provided below. We encourage member institutions to download the entire statement for dissemination to museum staff and as a guide in developing individual diversity statements.

The Association of Children’s Museums is an international professional organization representing children’s museums and institutions dedicated to serving children. Our mission is to build the capacity of children’s museums to serve as town squares where play inspires creativity and lifelong learning. The Association and its members are committed to honoring, practicing and promoting diversity, and believe that children’s museums have unique opportunities to do so by:

  • Engaging children and families in exploring and appreciating their own cultures and the diverse cultures and lifestyles of others.
  • Enhancing children’s cultural competency, their skills and ability to be active and successful in an increasingly diverse and global society.
  • Playing an active role in building inclusive communities through exhibits, programs, advocacy and partnerships that reflect and celebrate our diverse communities.
  • Enhancing staff and organizational capacity to attract, welcome and serve a diverse audience and membership.
  • Modeling diversity-in-action for children by ensuring that our boards and staff at every level reflect and benefit from our diverse communities. top

Diversity Pledge Template

Goal: Have a diverse, cross-section of individuals in communities across the United States understand that their children's museum seeks to be inclusive and welcoming to all children and families.

Strategy: Provide ACM children's museums resources, recommendations and tools to access, improve and communicate their commitment to diversity.

Tactic: Provide a Diversity Pledge Template, which is written in plain language that individual museums can customize and promote at their museum.

Diversity Pledge Template
Download the Word version of this template

Diversity is at the heart of the work that children's museums do to create new town squares where play inspires lifelong learning. To insure that our town square accurately reflects the communities that surround and support our museum, are run by a staff and are governed by a Board representative of these communities, we, insert museum name here, pledge:

  • To put diversity into action in all aspects of our museum, in our operations, in our exhibits, in our communications and marketing efforts, in our programs and educational offerings;

  • To foster inclusion on our Board and actively support increased leadership roles for our staff with diverse backgrounds;

  • To focus externally, engage, listen and respond to all members of our community.

Enacted Museum Diversity Statement

Creative Discovery Museum (Chattanooga, TN)

The Board of Directors approved the following Diversity Statement October 22, 2007.

The Creative Discovery Museum's vision is to be a community museum in the truest sense of the word: A place where children and families from all backgrounds come together to play and learn, a place that truly stimulates the curiosity and creativity of every child. As a community museum, we believe that embracing diversity at all levels is important and we pledge:

To put diversity into action in all aspects of our museum, in our operations, in our exhibits, in our communications and marketing efforts, in our programs and educational offerings;

To foster inclusion on our boards and staffs and actively support increased leadership roles for our staff with diverse backgrounds;

To focus externally, engage, listen and respond to all members of our community.

Diversity in Action Showcase

The Diversity in Action Showcase was created to give ACM colleagues a venue to share their current efforts and work in promoting diversity.

Read the below summaries from 2008 Showcase participants to learn how museums are addressing diversity through partnerships, programs, exhibits, events and employee development.

 

2008 Diversity in Action Showcase Descriptions

The Power of Children Exhibit

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
Indianapolis, IN

Jennifer Robinson
Vice President, Experience Development
Phone: 317-334-3834




“The Power of Children Gallery” at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis takes visitors on a journey through the lives of three children — Anne Frank, Ruby Bridges and Ryan White — who faced profound trials and emerged as heroes of the 20th century. The exhibit exemplifies for children and adults that every individual can make a difference, and empowers each visitor to thoughtfully pledge an action that will effect positive change in society and the community in which they live.

Pledges take on a Web 2.0 community shared experience when visitors type them up and upload them to The Promising Tree, both an environmental structure with screen leaves displaying promises and a post-museum online activity. Visitors can post the progress and outcomes of pledges they have made long after the visit.


A Marshal's Perspective—
Accompanying Theater Piece to “The Power of Children Exhibit”


The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
Indianapolis, IN

Eric Olson
Gallery Manager, The Power of Children
Phone: 317-334-3170

Theater and social change sounds pretty edgy, but it actually is a great way to take the edge off a potentially uncomfortable topic. A Marshal’s Perspective provides its audience with a way to emotionally engage with the Ruby Bridges story. The performance utilizes a variety of props, visual aids and interactions with audience members in the re-created classroom of Ruby Bridges.

PlayGym at Howard School

Creative Discovery Museum
Chattanooga, TN

Jayne Griffin
Director of Education
Phone: 423-648-6064

PlayGym is a caregiver and child play program for children aged 4 months through 3 years that has traditionally been offered at the museum for a program fee.

The museum has recently partnered with Howard School to reach inner city high school students/teen parents who are a part of an early childhood learning academy and daycare at Howard School. PlayGym is presented onsite at Howard School and allows teen parents to experience effective play interactions with their children.

The Children’s Photography Show

Duke Energy Children's Museum
Cincinnati, OH

Tony Lawson
Director
Phone: 513-287-7000 (ex. 7201)

In some communities, there are two parts of town and “never the twain shall meet.” The Children’s Photography Show is showing that there is a way to unite groups with differences simply by providing a visual introduction. The Children’s Photography Show brings art education to students at two inner-city schools, highlighting the works of 19th century Cincinnati photographer and abolitionist J.P. Ball and providing technical instruction for students to take photographs in their neighborhood. Students later curate their own photography show under the theme of “What Makes Your Neighborhood Beautiful?” for all museum visitors, no matter what side of the tracks they live on.

X-treme Adventures Summer Camp

Explorations V Children's Museum
Lakeland, FL

Brenda Paul
PR Director
Phone: 863-687-3869

Angie Watson
Visitor Services Manager
Phone: 863-687-3869

Since summer of 2006, the museum has partnered with Lakeland Housing Authority to provide scholarships so that resident underserved children would not miss out on summer camp. Because of their partnership, Lakeland’s African American, Hispanic and Caucasian children are able to participate in hands on activities, crafts, sports, games and creating new traditions with friends at the museum.


Passport to Discovery

Garden State Discovery Museum
Cherry Hill, NJ


Monica O’Malley
Educational Programs Manager
Phone: 856-424-1233

January through April is neither dull nor dreary at the Garden State Discovery Museum, because that is time when the colorful Passport to Discovery Program takes place. The museum doubled the length of its traditional multicultural public program series and used actual child-sized customized passports to encourage repeat visits to discover different cultures. During the annual series, children and families can explore communities and cultures, climates and colorful clothing by participating in food and craft activities, enjoying dance performances and lively demonstrations and encountering authentic objects from many world cultures.

KICKstart Program

Long Island Children's Museum
Garden City, NY


Jeanmarie Walsh
Be Together, Learn Together Program Manager
Phone: 516-224-5809




Designed to reach children “early and often” before the critical fourth grade testing year, KICKstart offers children the opportunity to experience an interactive learning environment. Through KICKstart, more than 35,000 children have visited the museum on guided field trips.

In addition to museum visits for KICKStart participants, the program also provides free family memberships to the museum, “Family Night” outreach programs in the community and “Community Nights” at LICM. These components provide on-going access to the museum and its programs and help create a museum-going culture for these families. Launched in 2002, KICKstart is funded through a $3.5 million, five-year grant from the international computer software company CA, with additional community support provided by JPMorganChase Foundation.

World at Play

Grand Rapids Children's Museum
Grand Rapids, MI

Scott Andersen
Marketing/PR Manager
Phone: 616-235-4726 (ext. 204)




Using the approachable theme of play, Grand Rapids Children’s created a temporary exhibit, “World at Play” to introduce children and families to what play looks like in Ghana, Italy and Vietnam. In conjunction with outreach programming, the exhibit explores a streetscape and vendors in Reggio Emilia, Italy, the smells and materials unique to a Vietnamese kitchen and the sounds and lighting of nighttime stories around a fire in Ghana.

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InterActivity Diversity Scholarship Program

This program encourages the professional development of ethnically diverse professionals in the children's museum field by providing complimentary registration and lodging for InterActivity. Click here for Information about applying for a 2009 InterActivity scholarship. top

Museums and Diversity Initiative

In 2005, ACM joined a national consortium of associations and museums, led by the American Association of Museums (AAM), to establish the national Museums and Diversity Initiative. For more information on the initiative, visit AAM's Web site. top

Suggested Readings

Children, these special souls, are also the keenest observers of human nature-they see and feel everything: smiles, scorn, pleasure and sternness. They observe facial expressions, hand and body movements, voices and even silence. They filter these observations and interactions to determine how others perceive them, but more significantly, these encounters shape how they see themselves. Are we fully welcoming all children into the museum with our eyes, voice and touch in a way that says, "Your being here makes me happy"?

-- Exerpt from "In the Eyes of a Child: What Do Children Think about Diversity?" by Georgina Ngozi.

Download the entire article.

While not a comprehensive list of readings, the following books and articles for children, parents, educators and museum professionals are provided for consideration. If you have a suggestion for this list, please email ACM.

The Skin You Live In Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High Translation Nation: Defining a New American Identity in the Spanish-Speaking United States

Volunteer Recruitment (& Membership Development) Book

“Flies in the Buttermilk: Museums, Diversity & the Will to Change”

“In Search of the American Museum”

Tempered Radicals How People Use Difference to Inspire Change at Work

Museums in the Life of a City Strategies for Community Partnerships

Cultivating Diversity in Fundraising

Race, Ethnicity and Self: Identity in Multicultural Perspective

Giraffe & Elephant: A Diversity Fable

Positive Trends in Learning: Meeting the Needs of a Rapidly Changing World

Leisure Decisions Influencing African American Use of Museums Building Museum & School Partnerships  

The Skin You Live In
Whimsical Picture Book Teaches Children Acceptance At An Early Age

What began as a whimsical way for author Michael Tyler to convey to his young son that skin color does not define a person's value is now a lyrical tool for caregivers to share with children. The rhyming picture book The Skin You Live In (published by Chicago Children's Museum), by Michael Tyler with illustrations by David Lee Csicsko, can help parents and teachers tackle tough topics-differences, friendship, acceptance, self-esteem and diversity-in a fun, accessible way. This publication is available on Amazon.com

Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High

A how-to book for handling "life's most difficult and important conversations." Topics include preparation, transformation of anger into dialogue, cultivation of a "safe" conversation culture, and the art of persuasion. Written by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler and Stephen Covey. This publication is available on Amazon.com

Translation Nation: Defining a New American Identity in the Spanish-Speaking United States

Pulitzer Prize-winning Guatemalan-American journalist Hector Tobar finds a "parallel nation" in his cross-country trips from "futbol" leagues in Alabama to a rapidly growing Spanish-language newspaper in Kansas. A quick, interesting look at what one reviewer calls "redefining the experience of the American immigrant." This publication is available through Penguin Publishing.

Volunteer Recruitment (& Membership Development) Book, The 3rd edition

This book is filled with recruitment ideas on where to look for volunteers, why people do or do not volunteer, how to select the right recruitment technique, what diversity means to your organization, and an appendix on how to recruit via the Internet. Written by Susan J. Ellis. This publication is available through the Energize, Inc. bookstore.

Leisure Decisions Influencing African American Use of Museums

Based on two recent research studies, this report explores variables that could account for current patterns of museum use by African Americans: socio-economic, institutional, cultural/ethnic, and regional factors. This characterization of leisure patterns attempts to capture the range of African-American museum-going attitudes and behaviors. Survey instruments and tables included. Written by John H. Falk, the publication is available through the American Association of Museums bookstore.

Museum News “Flies in the Buttermilk: Museums, Diversity & the Will to Change”

Lonnie G. Bunch wrote this article in the July/August 2000 issue of Museum News. The Smithsonian Institution has named Bunch as the first director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, effective July 2005. AAM's award-winning magazine has been covering trends in the field and issues facing the museum community for the past 85 years. The publication is available through the American Association of Museums bookstore.

Museum News (July/August 2005) “In Search of the American Museum”

Tuliza Fleming wrote this article in the July/August 2005 issue of Museum News. She is the Curator for American Art at The Dayton Art Institute. Fleming has served in numerous professional research and curatorial positions including that of guest curator for Breaking Racial Barriers: African Americans in the Harmon Foundation Collection at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. The publication is available through the American Association of Museums bookstore.

Tempered Radicals How People Use Difference to Inspire Change at Work

Author Debra E. Meyerson calls them "tempered radicals": people who want to become valued and successful members of their organizations without compromising who they are and what they believe. Meyerson further argues that these "everyday leaders" act as crucial sources of new ideas, alternative perspectives, and organizational learning and change. Drawing from 15 years of research and the compelling stories of tempered radicals in a variety of organizations, Meyerson illustrates a spectrum of innovative ways - from cautious to increasingly bold - that individuals "rock the boat" from inside the corporate ship and steer a course for powerful, positive change. This publication is available through Harvard Business School Publishing.

Museums in the Life of a City Strategies for Community Partnerships

This final report describes the goals, pilot partnerships, and results of the Museums in the Life of a City Initiative. This project was established to enhance the appreciation of cultural diversity by building partnerships between museums and communities. Portia Hamilton-Sperr, Project Director American Association of Museums. The publication is available through the American Association of Museums bookstore.

Cultivating Diversity in Fundraising

Raising money in today's diverse communities is a growing challenge for fund raisers and philanthropists, requiring thoughtful strategies, successful collaborations, and a respectful understanding of people's differences. This book examines the ways in which fund raisers can use an understanding of ethnic differences to create a vibrant and balanced nonprofit center through individual and collaborative efforts, taking into account location, population served, and community demographics. Written by Janice Gow Pettey. This publication is available through John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Building Museum & School Partnerships

Museum educators and school teachers met for three workshops on establishing closer working relations between schools and museums. Each partner's expectations of the other, learning theories in museums, field trips, outreach projects, community as classroom, and cultural diversity constitute the core contents of the book. An appendix includes an array of successful program materials used by museums in Pennsylvania. Edited by Beverly Sheppard. American Association of Museums / Pennsylvania Federation of Museums & Historical Organizations. The publication is available through the American Association of Museums bookstore.

Race, Ethnicity and Self: Identity in Multicultural Perspective

This collection of articles examines the impact of race and ethnicity on individual identity development in the United States. Theory and research is presented about African Americans, Asian Americans, Native American Indians, Whites, Puerto Ricans, and Vietnamese Americans. Articles by a multicultural group of authors provide a theoretical framework through which to discuss the concept of self across cultures, and address such issues as the relationship of power and dominance to attitudes of race, and the challenge of a biracial heritage.
Written by Elizabeth P. Salett and Diane R. Koslow. This publication is available through the National MultiCultural Institute bookstore.

Giraffe & Elephant: A Diversity Fable

This book captures with stunning simplicity the complex issues that we face daily throughout the course of the 21st Century. It goes straight to the core of the matter — difference — and provides a jumping-off place for true conversation to finally take place. Written by R. Roosevelt Thomas, Jr. This publication is available through Diversity Inc. bookstore.

Positive Trends in Learning: Meeting the Needs of a Rapidly Changing World

The report avoids discussion of fads or trends that many would consider negative. It is set in the context of lifelong learning in order
to reinforce its value for the education of students at any age and in any setting. The report has many relevant chapters including, The Growing Diversity of Students Is Affecting Educational Planning and Practice in All Settings. Written by by Dee Dickerson is also an interesting read available on line at New Horizons.
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Created to to give children and families the opportunity to experience cultures of Asia, the Asian Exhibit Initiative features these cultures:


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Email: acm@ChildrensMuseums.org