Ramsey County History – Summer 2022: “Addressing the ‘Trust Gap’ Harming History in the Twin Cities”

Addressing the “Trust Gap” Harming History in the Twin Cities
Author: Chad P. Roberts

Museum directors try to create institutions where everyone interested in and impacted by their institutions will be represented, welcomed, and engaged. However, following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, as museum staff worked to acquire, preserve, and exhibit the uprising art created by local artists, the absence of trust between the Twin Cities’ African American community and these mostly white-led organizations became clear. Since then, Ramsey County Historical Society (RCHS), along with other Minnesota museums have taken a deep dive to try to reconcile differences and strengthen relationships and trust by participating in the American Alliance of Museums’ nationwide Facing Change initiative. From this on-going commitment, four organizations—RCHS, Anoka County Historical Society, Dakota County Historical Society, and Hennepin History Museum, in partnership with local historians, created the Arthur C. McWatt Fellowship. The intent is to collaborate with African American communities, advance history projects, and identify a network of individuals and organizations engaged in preserving and presenting Black history in Minnesota. The first cohort—seven local multigenerational historians—recently completed the nineteen-week research program. Read about their important work here.
PDF of C. Roberts article