Listening to Nabeelah

Nabeelah’s words remind of the importance of continuing our process of learning. Having the conversations we are having now is not a one-time thing, we need to keep chipping away at it, continuing the process. I need to keep reminding myself of that as well, I am a fast-paced worker, need actions and deadlines. Nabeelah’s words are a good reminder that some things are long processes, and that you maybe can’t initially see the results. My background is events and fast deadlines, so I am not used to slow and reflective. I am reminded by Nabeelah’s words to value process as much as outcomes. I wonder if it’s similar for other people and teams in the museum. We are used to a fast paced and conveyor-belt kind of working. But having time for conversation is just as important.  

I was sad that to read that Nabeelah feels that people risk their careers if they voice their concerns about issues like a lack of diversity. Being surprised by this is a sign of my white privilege, I guess. It is good to hear these hard to hear sentences, the ones that make me stop and sad, and then make me want to do something to change how things are. I would hate people to think that bad things happen if they voiced their concern with the museum. We need to hear those difficult sentences to provoke us to change. We need to make it a priority to make the museum a safe space for conversations.  

I dwelt on the trip to the US. Nabeelah mentions that grassroots work in Chicago seems to be doing collaborative, locally rooted and open work right, that ‘it can be done when done correctly’. I wonder, if there are these institutions that do it correctly, what can we learn from them? I don’t know much about the trip and the learning that happened there. There is always so much useful learning that could be taken from colleague’s trips and projects. But we are siloed in our departments not sharing information. I want to know what that stuff was Nabeelah mentions, what those nuggets of information were. 

Bex Hill, Festivals and Cinema Events Coordinator

Nabeelah Hafeez's moment

An open door If we lift our head above water. Baptise the calmer tide. If we close our eyes and...