Fighting For Social Equity: The Role of Zoos & Aquariums

We are now experiencing ‘an eruption of consciousness.’

These words, shared by Mara-Lynne Payne, begin to describe how we may be feeling as the Black Lives Matter Movement rises to prominence. As a white male, I don’t always know what to say or how to say it. I’m trying to learn, to listen better, to read more. But I do know that zoos and aquariums have a role in fighting social inequities. Last week, during our weekly Community Conversations webinar series, five panelists shared their perspectives on the current environment and what we should be doing. It was powerful. It was revealing. It was direct.

You should watch it. Tune in with your teams. Share it with your community. These are the voices we should be listening to, the voices that need to be heard, the voices that need to be amplified.

Click here to view webinar recording.

Four themes resonated in the conversation:

• White People: Racism is a white person’s problem. White people need to actively work to dismantle the system.

• Privilege: We all have it and we need to stand up and use ours for good.

• Listening: Take the time to do your homework and understand the problem.

• Intentionality: We need to be intentional to address our own mindsets and change institutional structures.

We know this is just the start and we commit to carrying on the conversation. Stay tuned for additional workshops and webinars, and check out some of the resources shared during our session below.

A profound Thank You to our panelists:

• Dr. Jo-Elle Mogerman
  Director – North Campus
  Saint Louis Zoo

• Dr. Bert Davis
  President & CEO
  America’s Black Holocaust Museum

• Craig Jacobs
  Director of Human Resources, Safety & Security 
  Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium

• Mara-Lynne Payne
  Senior Manager of Inclusion, Equity & Diversity
  Tennessee Aquarium 

• Amos Morris
  Deputy Director/Chief Operating Officer
  Fresno Chaffee Zoo

• Curtis Bennett
  Director of Equity & Community Engagement
  National Aquarium

Additional resources shared by participants:

• www.dismantlingracism.org

• AAM Keynote: https://www.aam-us.org/2020/06/09/racism-unrest-and-the-role-of-the-museum-field/

• NAI Diversity Statement: https://interpnet.com//NAI/docs/NAI-DEI-Statement.pdf

• Book: So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

• OF/BY/FOR ALL: https://www.ofbyforall.org