Organizing for Equity-Oriented Change in Museums: Insights, Practical Suggestions, and Stories From the Science Museum of Minnesota

What does it mean for a museum, science center, or other informal science organization to commit to being a more racially equitable institution by treating equity as seriously as something like budgeting--part of every project, and necessary to the functioning of the organization? This project document shares the organizational change processes, tools, and approaches we developed during the RACE Forward project - an action research project designed to empower cross-organizational groups to spark sustainable change in practices, policies, and dispositions across the organization.

This case sample report is designed to share productive lessons and concrete examples from the project, and includes resources that may guide other organizations and practitioners to: set up and maintain equity-focused teams, create a shared vision of organizational equity, develop action plans, conduct a staff equity survey, and more. This document shares both successes and missteps, revealing insights into what transformational organizational change looks like.

We believe that informal educational professionals across an array of roles will appreciate and be able to utilize the practical, nuts-and-bolts examples that the case sample of the RACE Forward project provides, in order to move equity initiatives forward in their own institutional work.