AAM's E-Advocacy page is mostly for museums, but no one's going to stop you from also writing to your representatives and making a fuss about it via Twitter (#museumsadvocacy) or Facebook or whatever. The point is, do something. If you're reading this blog, you probably already know (either consciously or at least deep down) that museums are the safe guards and celebrations of our shared heritage, both material and intangible. As Americans, we have a particular responsibility to make the protection and preservation of our museums a priority because of the vast number of cultural memories and identities they serve. So jot off a quick letter to your state representatives! For reference, here's what I wrote to Senator John Kerry (with some help from the letter guides provided by AAM):
Dear Senator
Kerry,
As a
constituent, I know that you are pulled in many, many directions and must make
difficult decisions every day about how to meet the needs of people like me and
our community. I recently learned, through the American Association of Museums,
how important it is that I take a moment to express to you why museums are so
special to me.
There
was recently an article in the BBC about how lack of funding in Bosnia has
affected museums. During wartimes, the museum workers dodged bullets and bombs
to protect the material manifestations of their cultural heritage and shared
history. Now during hard economic times, Bosnian museum workers have not been
paid for six months and are taking on part-time jobs to support themselves
while they continue to work for their country’s museums. During World War II,
museum workers at the Hermitage in Russia barricaded themselves in the museum’s
basement tunnels and died of starvation and cold protecting their collections
from the violence of war. And just a few years ago in 2003, Donny George risked
his life during the American invasion of Iraq in an attempt to protect the Iraq
National Museum from looters.
Museums
are the safe guards and celebrations of our shared heritage, both material and
intangible. When our way of life is threatened, we look to museums to remind us
who we are and to keep our identities alive. As Americans, our museums contain
a vast number of cultural stories and memories, giving us a great
responsibility to make the protection and preservation of our many cultural
identities a priority. We need to support our museums now so that we may not
have to sacrifice so much for the protection of our histories in the future.
Essentially,
I grew up in museums. As an adult, I continue to grow up in museums as I
graduate from college this year and dedicate my life to museums; to figuring
out how they work, how to make them work better, and how to continue to protect
the world’s history in ethical and educational ways.
As
a representative of our great state of Massachusetts, I hope you will remember
how important museums are to me and provide support for museums in your future
work.
Sincerely,
Meg
Lambert