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CULTURE& IN collaboration with the Museums Association are set to host a joint UK and US symposium on how our museums are responding to racism and what needs to happen next.

The tumultuous events that followed the May 2020 murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis shone a globally bright light upon all forms of racism and anti-Blackness, including its impact on museums and their communities.

While the events of last summer may have faded in some memories, the issues raised remain current.

Culture& and the Museums Association will reflect on what happened last year, and look forward to the future.

A UK and US panel of distinguished arts and culture leaders will probe the statements of solidarity issued by various arts and heritage organisations in 2020, what they have achieved since then, and what further changes need to be made.

UK panelists include Arike Oke, Managing Director at the Black Cultural Archives; Hassan Mahamdallie, diversity specialist and former Director of the Muslim Institute; and Rachael Minott, Inclusion and Change Manager at the National Archives.

They will be joined by US experts including Monica O. Montgomery, Curator of Special Projects + Programming at the Smithsonian Institution Arts + Industries Building; Ian Damont Martin, Executive Director of Inclusion & Belonging at the Art Institute of Chicago; and OnRa LaTeal, Senior Manager of ARTLAB at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

The discussion will be moderated by Culture&s Chief Executive, Dr Errol Francis.

Sharon Heal, Director of the Museums Association said: We are delighted to be working with Culture& on this critical issue for museums. A year after the murder of George Floyd its vital that we turn the commitment to anti-racism that many museums expressed at that time into action.

Dr Errol Francis, Chief Executive of Culture& added: The Black Lives Matter movement has intensified longstanding concerns about equality and diversity in the arts and heritage sectors both in the UK and US.

One year on from the outcry at the murder of George Floyd we want to scrutinise, along with our US colleagues, the actions of those institutions who said they stood in solidarity with the Black community throughout the world and to assess what actions they have implemented and what remains to be done.

Museums and Black Lives Still Matter will be held on Zoom on Wednesday 2 June at 1pm EST / 6pm BST. Book free tickets here .

A year on from Justin Fashanu being inducted into the National Football Museums Hall of Fame: Football still not ready to accept peoples differences

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Grab your free tickets for the 'Museums and Black Lives Still Matter' symposium - The Voice Online

KANAB, Utah A Kanab man caught on video last year coughing on Black Lives Matter protesters was arrested Monday for making threats to the administrator of a Facebook page.

Robert Brissette, 57, was arrested and booked on threat of violence and electronic communication harassment.

READ: Man arrested after taking Salt Lake City police car on joy ride

According to the probable cause affidavit from Kane County, Brissette contacted the person who oversees the "Say it Kanab! Free Speech for All" Facebook page over the weekend.

Brissette messaged the man asking if he could help stop people from attacking him on the page. In the conversation, Brissette claims he is being bullied and says, "I will be going to jail for _____ people up if it continues."

During the conversation, Brissette says he has had 73 death threats and break-ins at his home since the video of him coughing on the protesters outside a gas station went viral.

The video taken during the height of the pandemic in Oct. 2020 shows a maskless Brissette walking up to a group of people and saying "Black Lives don't matter, all lives matter." He then coughed on the group multiple times.

Brissette messaged that he has taken responsibility for his actions, and tells the man he can't prove he's learned his lesson if he continues to be bullied.

"I reached out to you because I thought you would understand," wrote Brissette. "And would have alttle (sic) sympathy for the fact that I have been trying to make mends (sic)."

READ: Utah man charged in U.S. Capitol riot to remain in jail

The page's administrator replied that it is a free speech group page and he can't stop people from saying anything.

Brissette tells the man that people who harass him are on a "hit list" for "when I snap."

The administrator tells Brissette to never contact him again.

The affidavit says that Brissette also messaged another local resident and threatened them by implying that he would beat the person up if he ever saw him in town.

More here:
Kanab man caught on video coughing on BLM protesters arrested for making threats - fox13now.com

A longtime minority teacherin the Schenectady City School District who said hes often asked if he really earned a masters degree from the Ivy Leagues Harvard University took to Congress Park Sunday and joined Black Lives Matter demonstrators to explain the need for activists to speak to local students.

Yacouba Sangare, an elementary and sixth grade teacherwho hails fromNiger, West Africa, said he leads ananti-racism club in his district.

In Saratoga Springs, local BLM leaders Lexis Figuereoand his sister, Chandler Hickenbottom, recently spoke with two classes about the pros and cons of civil disobedience.

Sangare said hes observed that its easier to talk to younger kids about racism than older students.

The educator said his students often ask whyBlack history is only discussed in February, while white history is discussed every month.

Having a culturally relevant and affirming school district, Sangare said, is not hurting white students. Its not teaching white students that they are born racist. If someone tells you that, they clearly know nothing about culturally relevant and affirming schools.

A self-described anti-racism teacher, Sangare cited Audrey Lordes essay titled The Masters Tools Will Never Dismantle the Masters House.

We are not here to oppress anyone, Sangare said. Were not here to devalue anyone. Were here to uplift all of our students and make better society for all. We only do that when all students, including our white students, are taught our real history.

Sangare said that if the people telling lies about ushad had a culturally relevant, anti-racist education, they would not be so afraid of us and the truth we speak.

Pointing to his white wife, Tracy, in the crowd of dozens of demonstrators, Sangare said he loves his white family, friends and students.

But the districts Black and brown students who are Muslim, Jewish, and members of the LGBTQ community, he said, deserve to feel valued.

Figuereo saidthe demonstration wasaimed at dispelling misinformation that circulated about the Saratoga Springs School Districts policy on equity, inclusivity and diversity.

The policys mention of being anti-racist doesnt go far enough, the organizers said.

Activists said they also continued to demand police accountability in the city, where it said the alleged police-involved death of a 21-year-old biracial man named Darryl Mount wasnt investigated.

A vigil commemorating the anniversary of Mounts death was held at Saratoga Springs City Hall on Thursday.

Figuereo joined his sister occupying the Albany polices South Station for six days in April.

During the encampment, Hickenbottom said Albany Police CaptainDevin Anderson assaulted her with her own megaphone without remorse.

This happens all the time, she said. This is nothing new. The only thing is that this was caught on camera.

Acknowledging the various shades, ages, genders, and sexual identities in the crowd, Hickenbottom said the activists pushed for inclusivity, diversity, equity and inclusion. She said sarcastically that those were scary words to most people.

Please look it up in the dictionary, what anti-racism means, because if you have a problem with anti-racism, just know you are racist, she said.

After remarks in the park, demonstrators marched to City Hall while officers from the Saratoga County Sheriffs Department handled traffic control as North Broadway and South Broadway traffic were blocked. Demonstrators also lined the street in front of City Hall before returning to Congress Park.

Categories: News, Saratoga County

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Schenectady teacher at Saratoga Springs demonstration speaks of BLM invite to schools - The Daily Gazette

As part of our commemorations for the upcoming one-year anniversary of George Floyds death and the Black Lives Matter protests of last summer, we would like to speak to families about how their lives have been affected by the BLM movement.

We want to hear about how each of your lives has changed or not changed over the last year, for example in the workplace, in education, in personal relationships, to reflect on the movements impact across different generations.

How has BLM impacted the conversations you have as a family? Has it led to any changes in your schools or workplaces, and how effective have they been? Has it influenced priorities like how you spend your money, what you read, how you spend your time? How have you processed the events of the past year? How do you feel about the future?

You can get in touch by filling in the form below, anonymously if you wish. Your responses are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions.

One of our journalists will be in contact before we publish, so please do leave contact details.

If youre having trouble using the form, click here. Read terms of service here.

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Tell us: how has your life been affected by the Black Lives Matter movement? - The Guardian

Photo: Creative Photo Corner (Shutterstock)

Cops be like: Follow the law or pay the consequences! But also, if you hurt my feelings, Im definitely going to break the law.

Last year, a Forest Grove, Oregon, police officer was charged with second-degree criminal mischief and second-degree disorderly conduct after he allegedly vandalized a home that displayed a Black Lives Matter flag on Oct. 31. On Thursday, a second police officer was indicted because he allegedly failed to arrest the first officer and instead drove him home. Perhaps the second cop figured the first cop wasnt actually a criminal but was dressing as one for Halloween, but Im going to go out on a limb and say police officers are just less likely to be dedicated to doing their jobs when the job requires them to arrest other cops.

The Associated Press reports that Officer Bradley Schuetz was indicted by a grand jury on one count of first-degree official misconduct for declining to arrest Officer Steven Teets.

Teets was off-duty when he allegedly came across the BLM flag displayed at the residence and his little fragile blue feeling couldnt take the (well earned) disrespect so he reportedly walked into the driveway, set off the car alarm on the residents truck, beat up the flag like it was an actual Black life and kicked and pounded on the front door of the home.

The owners of the home called the police and an unnamed officer arrived and identified Teets as the vandal. Schuetz apparently got wind of the situation and arrived at the scene to drive Teets home instead of taking his ass to jail like he would any civilian who had committed the same crime.

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According to AP, Beaverton police Sgt. Kevin MacDonald said by failing to arrest Teets, Schuetz prevented the investigation from happening.

Despite having been indicted on criminal charges, Schuetz is currently on paid administrative leave and Teets has been placed on administrative duty while the Washington County Sheriffs Office continues its investigation of the incident.

All of this leaves me with one question: What does a criminal cop have to do to be treated like a criminal by cops?

All of this happened because the very thought that Black lives matter is enough to send certain police officers into a rage of blue tears. That energy would be better spent by the good apples weeding out the bad so the movement is less necessary.

But then there would need to actually be good apples.

Read more:
2 Oregon Police Officers Charged in Incident Involving Home With Black Lives Matter Flag Being Vandalized - The Root