The London Museum has encouraged to encourage staff to tackle the problem of 'embedded whiteness' as part of a diversity drive, it has emerged.
The museum funded by the government focused on the history of London has reportedly created a brochure to help staff to challenge 'embedded whiteness' in the workplace.
The staff has been told that the current 'culture and ways of working' of the museum supports and should change 'Institutional forms of racism'.
To do this museum, it is said to be told to wonder: “How do I contribute to promoting racing equality in my daily work?” And “How do I know that I cherish a safe space for everyone for everyone?”
The staff has been told that the current 'culture and ways of working' of the museum support and needs to change 'Institutional forms of racism'
The London Museum – which was renamed the Museum of London in 2024 – closed its main location in the city of London and will open a new location in Smithfields Market in 2026
Another question asks: 'Do I make room and time for important conversations about racing capacity? How do we continue to challenge embedded whiteness? '
The museum has told the staff that 'whiteness' is defined by 'ideas, ways of working and normative values that can directly or indirectly support the continuation of racial inequalities and a lack of or racial diversity in institutions', according to De Telegraaf.
To tackle this, the museum has produced a 'Cultural change tool' for staff as part of its equality, diversity and inclusion strategy that aims to make the attraction 'real anti-racist'.
It is said that it consists of a series of questions that staff should ask themselves to 'work differently' and in a way that 'will challenge inequality'.
The instructions to challenge 'whiteness' are, among other things, whether they can promote 'less hierarchical work' and whether they 'encourage everyone to take their entire themselves'.
It is not the first time that the London Museum – which was renamed the Museum of London in 2024 – caused controversy about its approach to diversity and equality.
A statue of slave owner Robert Milligan was removed from outside the London Museum Docklands site after Black Lives Matter protests in 2020
The brochure of the museum to challenge 'whiteness' include asking if they can promote 'less hierarchical works' and whether they 'encourage everyone to make their entire self work'
Smithfields General Market will be redeveloped in the new house of the Museum of London, half a mile away from the former site. It also has a different location in Docklands in London
In 2023 Dr. Rebecca Redfern, a curator in the museum, research that suggested that racism in medieval England may have contributed to black people who die from bubonic plague.
The research revealed the theory that 'misogynoir', sexist prejudice, specifically against black women, created a risk of death by plague in 14th-century London.
'Tool for Culture Change' of the museum was first produced in 2023 to support the museum's plans to become more anti-racist after the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.
After the protests, a statue of slave owner Robert Milligan was removed from outside the London Museum Docklands site.
Since then, the museum has committed itself to ensuring that its research output will become 'the issues of diversity that influence our society, our collection and our own organization'.
The e -mail has contacted the museum for comment.
