My feelings go back many, many years when, as a graduate student, the prof.
I graded for, invited me to enroll in the first African-American History
course the University ever offered (that ought to date me, huh?).  He and I
were the only Anglos in the seminar.  I was driven out.   They couldn't get
him because he was the instructor but he caught hell the whole semester.
 The basic point was that there was no possibility that either of us would
ever be able to fully understand Black history because we were white.  No
matter how hard we tried, we would never be able to comprehend what it was
like to have been black; that we should continue to study the Black
experience in America within the context of White America but that would be
about as far as we could go.

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....


------
Robert Handy
Brazoria County Historical Museum
100 East Cedar
Angleton, Texas  77515
(409) 864-1208
museum_bob
[log in to unmask]
http://www.bchm.org

----------
From:   James Mark Manheim[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
Sent:   Tuesday, August 25, 1998 8:56 AM
To:     [log in to unmask]
Subject:        Re: civility or side stepping equity

Robert T. Handy ([log in to unmask]) wrote:
: I sure hope this does not get me into trouble again, but I must admit
that
: when I see an ad for a position at an institution with some kind of focus
: on Africa, African-American music, art, culture, history, etc., I simply
: assume they are looking for African-American candidates and that I as an
: Anglo, would not be considered for the position.  Therefore, I do not
: apply.  Is this such an outlandish assumption?

I'd say this is a matter that's currently under debate.  Doing research
for an article recently on Detroit's Museum of African American History, I
noted that white designers had in fact been part of the gallery
construction process, but that the institution took some heat for that.

JM
      _____________________________________________________________
James M. Manheim                        "Is it art,
Associate Editor                           Or is it messy?
University of Michigan Museum of Art     We don't know--
525 S. State St.                           Check with Jesse!"
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1354
(734) 936-0163    fax: (734) 764-3731        --Rev. Billy C. Wirtz