Equity, Diversity & Inclusion:

The impact of the British Empire and Transatlantic slavery on museums, historic properties and collections

In this session you will explore the relationships between the British Empire, Transatlantic slavery, the British economy, and the origins and continuing role of heritage and museums in disseminating imperialist, western narratives.

You will increase your knowledge and understanding of the legacy of the British Slave Trade in the Yorkshire and Humber region.

You will be introduced to examples of “decolonising” object interpretation, through research into the links between specific museum objects and slavery or colonialism.

This session will support you if you are seeking to understand why and how your museum could decolonise its collections and interpretation, by exploring different perspectives, or if you need to advocate internally for this work.

You will be able to ask questions in a safe space and acquire understanding and knowledge to inform your internal conversations.

Pre-course preparation:

Please select and bring to the session* an image of an object on display in your museum that either:

has links to imperialism and slavery that you would like to talk to audiences about

might have links to colonialism or slavery that you would like to find out more about

*If you would like us to screen share the object image for you, please send the image in advance to MDYOffice@ymt.org.uk and enter in the email subject line: your name - 16 Feb object image

Session outcomes

After the session you will:

• Understand how colonialism and slave trade narratives have shaped approaches to collections and their interpretation

• Be able to critically reflect on your collections, and identify connections and legacies of colonialism and slave trade in the narratives

• Begin to understand the principles of decolonising the museum and activities to support this

About the session

The session will be delivered online via Zoom.

The content will be a mixture of presentations, small group discussion, a small group object activity, and whole group discussion.

Who should attend?

The session is aimed at people working or volunteering in museums in Yorkshire and the Humber within the Arts Council England Accreditation scheme (Accredited or Working Towards Accreditation).

You should have responsibility for, or a role in, your museum's collecting, research or programme development activity.

Priority will be given to a maximum of 2 people per organisation and to museums not receiving National Portfolio Organisation funding from Arts Council England.

The session is free of charge. There are 16 places available.

Interested in developing this area of your museum's work?

This is one of a series of stand-alone sessions. It will develop your understanding of the impact of the British Empire and Transatlantic slavery in the British economy and in heritage.

If you are exploring how to develop equity and inclusion in your museum, you may also want to attend other sessions in this series - please see our website for details:

Wed 24 November 2021 2-4.30pm Why equity and diversity are important for museums

Wed 16 March 2022 2-4.30pm Race in Britain and Yorkshire today

Museum Development Yorkshire are also offering a learning cohort running from January-March 2022 comprising 4 sessions to support your organisational development on equity, diversity and inclusion, leading to the development of an Equality Action Plan.

How does it fit with Museum Accreditation?

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion are relevant to your museum's work across Organisational Health, Managing Collections, and Users and their experiences.

They may have a particular role in the following Accreditation requirements:

4. Hold and develop collections

5. Hold useful and useable information on collections

7. Be accessible to the public

8. Understand and develop your audiences

9. Engage with your users and improve their experience

Who will deliver this training?

This training will be delivered by Isilda Almeida, from the consultancy No Barriers, and Maurice Davies, on behalf of Museum Development Yorkshire.

Isilda Almeida

I am a passionate advocate for Cultural Inclusion. I have worked in the heritage and cultural sectors in the UK for nearly 20 years, including the Museum of London Docklands, East Sussex Record Office and The Keep, Chichester Festival Theatre. I am a Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), and have launched and chaired the RSA’s Heritage Network between 2012 and 2019.

Currently, I am an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Consultant, and a PhD student researching the use of drone technology for engaging audiences with heritage.

I believe in the power of museums and cultural institutions to inspire, foster belonging, promote economic growth and stronger communities. This can only happen if these organisations are inclusive and champion diversity in all they do.

Maurice Davies

Maurice Davies is an experienced consultant and advisor to cultural organisations, primarily museums, galleries and heritage. He currently works mainly with Cultural Associates Oxford but also works independently, including recently for the National Trust where he advises on policy areas including inclusive histories. He has advised many national and umbrella organisations such as Arts Council England, the British Council, the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. He spent many years working at the Museums Association, where he contributed to sector and national policy and strategy.

Maurice has a long-standing interest in diversity and inclusion, particularly workforce diversity. He led the Diversify positive-action training programme which trained over 100 people from minority-ethnic backgrounds to enter the museum and gallery workforce, most at entry level and some at management level. He has published research on workforce diversity, entry to the workforce and early career progression, including contributing to a report for Arts Council England on diversity in the major museums funded by ACE. From 2015-2019 he was head of collections at the Royal Academy.

Impact of the British Empire and Transatlantic slavery on museums