Why We Need To Decolonize The Brooklyn Museum

Recently, the Brooklyn Museum controversially hired a white woman, Kristen Windmuller-Luna, as the curator of their African art collection, which led many to point out the diversity problem within the space’s staff.

“In an open letter, we address the hire as just a symptom of a larger structural problem and propose a Decolonization Commission as an opportunity to the curatorial crisis,” explained activist and educator Marz Saffore explained. “The aim of the letter was to redress the ongoing legacies of oppression in which the museum is complicit.”

She went on to state, “To be clear —this call to action was never an attack or campaign against the newly appointed white curator of African art, Kristen Windmuller-Luna. She may very well be a highly qualified candidate, but her hiring highlights several systemic issues latent in the art world itself.

Saffore and the groups who support the Decolonization Commission are wondering how the museum actually supports the community around it if its staff is predominantly white and it’s actively taking over the area.

So, will the museum listen to the groups who are begging for change? Or will they continue to operate in the neighborhood as usual and ignore the loud call for inclusion?