Interpreting challenging history has become a passion of mine as I have progressed through my museum career. At the Virginia Association of Museums Annual Conference, March 7-10, 2020 I had the opportunity to share exciting details during the panel, "Division and Reunification: Re-imagining Arlington House," about a project near and dear to my heart, the rehabilitation of one of my park's (the George Washington Memorial Parkways) critical sites, Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee Memorial. Since 2015, the park has been planning and preparing to restore, refurnish and develop new exhibits for the historic site to interpret all of the incredible stories and legacies of its many residents.
During my presentation with colleagues Dr. Mark Benbow (Marymount University) and Park Ranger Susan Chumley, we discussed the challenges of interpreting controversial figures in American History highlighted the specific issues at Arlington House.
I also had the chance to provide a snapshot of my research into DEAI in the Great Washington Metro Area via poster developed especially for the conference. I was excited to share key statistics, information on resources I have reviewed and the next steps in my research which includes distributing a survey based on the information I have gathered. My hope is to be able to provide a resource to local museums to utilize when tackling issues related to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. To take the survey please visit:
https://survey.zohopublic.com/zs/jgCs0x
