“Museums alone cannot ease the tensions that come from the debates surrounding the fluidity of national identity in the twenty-first century. Nor can any cultural institution solve the problems of poverty, racial injustice, and police violence. But museums can contribute to understanding by creating spaces where debates are spirited but reasoned. Where contemporary challenges are addressed through contextualization and education.” UnderstandingChallengesPovertyMuseumsRacial JusticeCurrent EventsContextPolice ViolenceDebates Book:A Fool's Errand: Creating the National Museum of African American History and Culture in the Age of Bush, Obama, and Trump Source: A Fool's Errand: Creating the National Museum of African American History and Culture in the Age of Bush, Obama, and Trump
“I think that the most important thing we can do as cultural institutions, as learning institutions, is really help the public become more comfortable with ambiguity. As a nation, we really look for simple answers to complex questions, and you see where that's gotten us. I think that what you want to do is help people understand the shades of gray, the nuance, the debates. I think if we could do that, regardless of what history, what culture we're teaching people, what's important is if you can get people to grapple with complexity, then we'd be a better nation.” UnderstandingSimplicityComplexityMuseumsAmbiguityLibrariesCultural Institutions Author:Lonnie G. Bunch III