There are many ways you can be a voice for change! Through voting, through shopping consciously or through being aware of issues like your carbon foot print. One of the most effective ways, we can exercise our power as citizens is through advocacy. On Wednesday, February 5th, I had the unique experience of participating in my first Virginia Museums Advocacy Day in Richmond.
With other members of the Virginia Association of Museums, I was able to meet with Virginia state delegates and their staffs to advocate for issues related to museums and cultural institutions in the state of Virginia. It was surreal to be introduced in the gallery as a member of the VAM "delegation" for Advocacy Day at the VA State capital building where so many key figures in the history of Virginia have sat. Throughout the day, we were able to promote the positive impact museums of all shapes and sizes have on the state, how the government can continue to support them and how delegates (and their families) can utilize and patronize the museums in their communities.
I also had the chance to share some of the work I have been able to do surrounding museum board diversity thanks to the support of the Virginia Association of Museums (and funding from Virginia Humanities). Additionally, I was able to meet (again) my fellow, Leadership and Advocacy Fellow, Rebecca Guest from the Virginia Zoo!
All-in-all it was an informative and exciting day capped off by a reception at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture where select museums were awarded funds after being selected as the top 10 endangered artifacts in Virginia last year.
Next Up: Understanding Unconscious Bias! A Workshop @VirginiaHistory sponsored by the Virginia Association of Museums