Oh Boy! You just opened up another one, Ross. Let's see where this one
goes.
I am from the Northwest (Oregon). I came to Texas twenty-seven years ago.
It was not until I took this museum position (I did international stuff
for twenty years), that I fully encountered the "Confederate" attitude. I
have been amazed over the past six years that it still exists. Mind you,
it generally has nothing to do with the slavery issue. I is focused more
on the "Southern Culture" whatever that might be, and its loss since the
War. There is a strong anti-"federal" element, although most of the vocal
ones don't understand what "federal" really means.
One of our local community colleges for instance, will not accept federal
assistance for the college work-study program. They fund it themselves. I
have a board member who threatens to quit if I accept any more N.E.A.
money. He claims to object on the grounds that N.E.A. funds immoral
projects but putting everything he says together, it is clear to me that he
simply doesn't want us taking any of that "federal" money. The only
exhibit he has ever spent any time in was War, Reconstruction and Recovery
in Brazoria County (soon to be viewable on our website). He was delighted
that we brought Dr. Vandiver, a noted Civil War historian to speak on
opening night and ignored the fact that the program and exhibit were funded
by N.E.H. dollars.
I shared the platform with a local community college president at last
year's Sons of the Confederacy Banquet. Wow! His speech bemoaned the loss
of the "Southern Culture."
The problem I have with all of this is that I have never been able to get
these people to define for me what the "Southern Culture" really is or
would be, in this day and time. I think that's because the mythical
southern culture was one based on the mythically easy-livin' plantation
society.
Maybe someone can pick this up and offer a deeper explanation.
------
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: Ross Weeks[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, August 27, 1998 10:14 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Equity and All That
I feel this is a dialogue that ought not to end anytime soon.
As one born in upstate New York, the biggest handicap I'm experiencing in
my
present position is my lack of understanding (appreciation might be a
better
word) for the Southern Cause 145 years ago. I know the history, but I
don't sense and never will, the emotional reflexes of those whose forebears
fought for a cause "they" saw as noble and inspired by the Almighty. So it
is that I am unable to espouse "the cause" as some wish I would do.
And though I've learned to create long overdue change in Southern museums
ever so slowly (holding in check my Yankee impatience), there is always the
price we pay for not being "of the bonds of the true South," as one
resigning Board member wrote some years ago.
In working with the power people in museums (the ones usually out there
behind the scenes) I've had to put my conscience in my back pocket in order
to listen through exasperated slurs aimed at one minority or another --
exasperated because the power people know they're losing it.
These power people are not unique to the South by any means. In doing MAP
assessments, I've found they are most everywhere. Essentially, they find
some way to control.
To get to the point, I fully agree with Ms. Moore as quoted below, based
100% on experience in several settings:
>Yes, but given a choice between a person of that cultural background and
>one who is not, all else being equal, the person of that culture will
>get the job. You may have wanted to say that nobody should
>automatically be DISqualified based on LACK of the desired cultural
>background: that would be discriminatory. A job description would
>NEVER state outright that the successful candidate would be Jewish,
>African-American, Latino or whatever.
>Julia Moore
>Director of Exhibitions and Artist Services
>Indianapolis Art Center
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