by Rob Taylor Jr.
Courier Staff Writer
By the time the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh reopens to the public in 2021, the museum would have attempted to do all it could to assure African Americans in the Pittsburgh area that they’ll be welcomed with open arms.
Following an open letter to the museum by former employees, many of whom are Black, alleging racist and discriminatory acts by the museum’s leadership, the museum has added a diversity and inclusion committee to its executive board, will hold engagement sessions with the community to help the museum become more of a model of racial justice, and is hiring a manager to oversee its Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion (DEAI) efforts.
The open letter addressed to the museum read in part that many former employees, who were laid off due to the pandemic, “witnessed a pattern of disrespect and dismissiveness towards partnerships with schools serving predominantly Black learners. The museum regularly used and manipulated Black communities to receive funding and continued foundation support, without investing time or interest in our programs there. Museum leadership made no effort to genuinely connect with communities, nor did they try to understand the experiences of Black teachers and Black students. In fact, we witnessed the museum try to cut ties with, and cancel programming for, two classrooms of predominantly Black children because it was not ‘lucrative enough.’”
The open letter also said that “Black artists were routinely treated differently” by the museum. “For example, when one artist created an exhibit that wasn’t centered in Whiteness, the museum’s leadership openly ridiculed his approach to installing exhibits. Many of us spoke up about these injustices—to directors, to HR, to our employee hotline—yet leadership never responded or allowed us to correct course.”
Will Tolliver Jr. was the primary force behind the open letter, which was published on social media around Aug. 1. He had been an employee at the Children’s Museum’s Education/Exhibits division since 2018. But it wasn’t just Tolliver who co-signed the open letter’s allegations. The letter was signed by more than 60 others who gave their name, such as Monet Spencer, Devin Booker, Devon Dill and Joanna Kemp, and by others who wanted to remain anonymous. The letter gained traction on social media, and soon found its way into the local media’s hands.
The Children’s Museum did respond on Aug. 2 with its own statement, assuring its “members, visitors, partners, and the public that we are committed to continuing our mission, of spreading joy, creativity, and curiosity for children and their families, and that all of our focus is on providing the best interactions possible for staff and guests in any and all experiences with our team.”
The museum’s original response also read that it was “disheartened to see so many inaccuracies, unattributed quotes, false claims, and misleading statements” in the open letter addressed to the museum.
The New Pittsburgh Courier contacted the museum’s senior director of communications, Max Pipman, asking Pipman to address one of the allegations made by the current and former staffers which was inaccurate.
Pipman, on Aug. 7, responded: “We are making a concerted effort to engage past employees side-by-side with current employees specifically to understand the concerns they have expressed. We are working to seriously listen to what they are saying and understand why they are saying it. All we ask from the readers at the Courier is that we explore how our collaboration can lead to the type of justice that we know is needed.”
In a special statement from the museum to the Courier, dated Aug. 7, Pipman said in part that “in the last week, we’ve heard that we need to expand our commitments to diversity, equity, access, and inclusion. These commitments have always been a part of our work, but it is clear that we must do more. We know and fully believe that Black Lives Matter. We’ve stated that Black Lives Matter. But knowing and saying it are not enough. We need to take action. We need to ensure that everyone knows that museums are not neutral, and that the Children’s Museum is committed to being anti-racist.”
The museum, located on the North Side, is a popular attraction in Pittsburgh. It was visited by 306,000 people in fiscal year 2017, according to the museum’s website. Families come from near and far to experience the many exhibits, such as the MuseumLab, Big League Fun, Garage, Garden and Waterplay.
Blacks and other people of color comprised 25 percent of the museum’s staff in 2019, according to the museum. This year, before the coronavirus pandemic, minorities comprised 30 percent of the total staff.
African American children and families have been enjoying the Children’s Museum for decades. There had not been any widespread racially-charged complaints against the museum until the recent open letter by its former (and some current) employees.
And even though the museum had released an original statement on Aug. 2, it decided to look “at ourselves” and ask “hard questions.” Thus, five days after its original statement, the Children’s Museum unveiled its new initiatives to better serve the Black community.
“We need to deepen our partnership and learning with Black communities across the region and state. We must ask the right questions, even ones we don’t yet know to ask, so that we can make progress,” Pipman told the Courier.
The museum’s new engagement sessions are designed to give current and former staff, and the community the opportunity to discuss how the museum can be a model of racial justice and equity.
“The museum strives to learn from the experiences of diverse audiences so that we can design programs and policies to ensure that every child and family feels welcome, safe, and seen—in particular Black, minority and marginalized children and families,” Pipman, speaking for the museum, said.
Those interested in participating in the upcoming sessions can email
deai@pittsburghkids.org.
The museum’s board of directors has created a diversity and inclusion committee, and is currently hiring for a person to develop and implement the DEAI strategies and policies. “The individual will lead in educating museum staff how to dismantle oppressive systems and help hold the museum accountable for the DEAI commitments it makes, thereby assisting the museum in fully achieving its mission throughout the entire community,” Pipman said.
The changes being made at the Children’s Museum echo much of what’s been occurring across the U.S. since the death of George Floyd, May, 25, in Minneapolis. Entities across the country have had to take a hard look at its policies and assure the public that the policies are inclusive to all, particularly African Americans. The Courier reported in its July 22 edition that Vibrant Pittsburgh, an organization dedicated to increasing diversity in Pittsburgh’s corporations, effectively put more than 60 local entities “on notice” by sending them three recommendations to create a more diverse Pittsburgh in the corporate sector.
“We want to support and expand our support for Black children, families, and communities, and ensure that every Black person entering into the museum feels comfortable and welcomed,” Pipman told the Courier. “We aren’t expecting Black communities to do this work for us. We seek to deepen our partnerships with Black communities as we elevate our commitment to diversity, equity, and racial justice. Together, let’s see what we can do differently. Let’s see what works. Let’s see how our collaborations can lead to the type of justice that we know is needed. Together let’s make progress. Real progress.”
THE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF PITTSBURGH, located on the North Side. The museum announced a number of initiatives geared towards more diversity and inclusion for African American customers and employees. (Photo by Courier photographer J.L. Martello)
“We know and fully believe that Black Lives Matter. We’ve stated that Black Lives Matter. But knowing and saying it are not enough. We need to take action. We need to ensure that everyone knows that museums are not neutral, and that the Children’s Museum is committed to being anti-racist.”
MAX PIPMAN
SR. DIR. OF COMMUNICATIONS
CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF PITTSBURGH
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