I might be misunderstanding your point but it seems to me that you are
suggesting that since whites (or Asians or Aborigines or Native Americans,
etc.) cannot fully understand what it is like to be Black/African American,
we should not study it at all or serve in those types of museums.
Yes, you misunderstood but that's o.k. because it gives us more to discuss
(within the limits of our available time--we do have work to do, don't we).
What I meant was that African-Americans convinced me that I could not
successfully study African-American history because there is not way I
could understand it.
Now, I know that to be as incorrect as saying that I could not study women
(academically, that is) because I am a man. However, to a certain extent
they were correct because there are definite limits to my ability to
understand the female experience in American history.
Leaping from there to jobs in African-American museums, I am simply
agreeing with the original position to the extent that I don't really
believe I, as an Anglo, could do justice to the subjects of A-A art, music,
cultural experience, etc. It was those students in that African-American
history class that give me my first glimpse at that particular problem.
Admittedly, it has not kept me from studying the Black or the female or
the Asian, etc. experience in American History. I would simply be hesitant
to apply for a job running say, a Native American museum.
------
Robert Handy
Brazoria County Historical Museum
100 East Cedar
Angleton, Texas 77515
(409) 864-1208
museum_bob
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http://www.bchm.org
----------
From: Deb Fuller[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 1998 10:32 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: civility or side stepping equity
At 09:43 AM 8/25/98 -0500, you wrote:
>I was not necessarily angered by that position because I generally, agreed
>(although I did not discontinue studying American diplomacy because I was
>not a diplomat). Nevertheless, the experience has influenced my thinking
>when it comes to serving in an African-American museum. I would generally
>agree that an Anglo is not going to as fully understand that
>experience--whether it relates to art, music, politics, culture or
>whatever--as an African-American. Sure would like to. But....
I might be misunderstanding your point but it seems to me that you are
suggesting that since whites (or Asians or Aborigines or Native Americans,
etc.) cannot fully understand what it is like to be Black/African American,
we should not study it at all or serve in those types of museums.
Thus why study history at all? I mean as a woman, I was made to study
white male history all my life. Certainly I cannot understand all of
Western history as a white female. Nor why should we subject non-whites to
studying Western history as well?
To me, I think we should all have a good base understanding of world
history, African, Asian, European and South American and a better
understanding of our own country's history as well. Then I think people
should be allowed to study whatever history interests them. I may never
understand what it is like to truely be Black, but I can appreciate the
culture and the history.
And to add, I grew up in one of the most racially diverse areas in the
world. (Alexandria, VA right outside of Washington, DC.) Now while I will
never been African American/Black, I do know what it is like to be a
minority and be picked upon because of my skin color. (Yes, "whitey" is
just as much of an epithet as other racial slurs.) This again, won't be me
the true insight on not being white, but it does give me a bit more of a
perspective than someone who grew up in an all white town in the Mid-West,
for example. I think everyone can gain an understanding of someone else's
culture on some identifiable level. Finding the common experiences that we
all share is the key.
Deb Fuller
--------------------------------------------
Staples & Charles Ltd.
225 N Fairfax St.
Alexandria, VA 22314
USA
703-683-0900 - voice
703-683-2820 - fax
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