Standing Professional Committee for Diversity in Museums

Background - AAM Diversity Coalition

In 1998, an ad hoc coalition of three ethnic Professional Interest Committees (PICs) was formed. This coalition brought together AAM's Asian Pacific, Latino and Native American Professional Interest Committees, and also included the Association of African American Museums (AAAM), an AAM affiliate organization.

In 1999, the Ethnic PIC Coalition expanded to include the Alliance for Gay and Lesbian Concerns PIC, the Council of American Jewish Museums (an AAM Affiliate), as well as two other informal entities-- the AIDS Network and the Universal Design, Accessibility, and Services Group. The expanded group became the AAM Diversity Coalition (DivCo).

In May 2001, the AAM Board approved a motion to make the Diversity Coalition an administrative committee of the Association to advise and serve as a resource to all AAM activities, programs and constituents. The Diversity Coalition goals were:

To increase the number of diverse professionals in leadership positions in the museum field
To help all museums and their communities understand the benefits of diversity

Standing Professional Committee for Diversity in Museums (provisional)

In November 2003, the AAM Board of Directors considered the Diversity Coalition's (DivCo) application to become a Standing Professional Committee (SPC). The application was supported by over 160 current AAM members.

Because of the Board's commitment to diversity as a key strategic goal for the association and museum field, the Board welcomed DivCo's application. However, before approving the application, it created a Taskforce on Museums and Diversity to explore what organizational structure would best achieve DivCo's goals. The Taskforce sought a broad range of perspectives from inside and outside the museum community. The group consisted of twenty-two individuals, including AAM staff, AAM Board members, museum professionals, DivCo co-chairs, and diversity experts from the non-profit field.

The Taskforce was asked to identify realistic, practical, and dramatic goals for the AAM to advance diversity in the museum field. The Taskforce members identified four distinct areas of need:

Collect Data, Share Information, and Define Expectations
Develop Incentives and Expand Influence
Diversify the Museum Profession
Build Leadership Capacity and Potential

The Taskforce then developed a Timeline for Diversity Actions that reflected the Taskforce's recommended priorities and goals for the next 6-18 months.

At the annual meeting in May 2004 the AAM Board reviewed the final Taskforce's report and recommendations and provisionally approved a new SPC called the Committee for Diversity in Museums. It is the first new SPC in 20 years.

A provisional SPC board is working on refining the Committee for Diversity in Museums operating guidelines, membership recruitment, nominations for future Committee board members, management structure, and developing an operating plan in alignment and in tandem with other AAM diversity goals and strategies which were identified by AAM's Taskforce on Museums and Diversity.

During the start up period, contacts for the SPC for Diversity in Museums are Tania Said and Polly Nordstrand, the former co-Chairs of the Diversity Coalition.