The Missouri Historical Society occupies a unique place in the region as a leader in the exploration of our shared history. That history has its triumphs and its pains, its democratic ideals, and its injustices. We have been driven apart by violence against Black people caused by persistent racial inequality. Peaceful protests have been growing to waken our nation to change, and disruptive misbehavior by a few will not cloud our vision for what’s right.

Education and effective activism can change the nation’s and our community’s understanding of systemic racism. We have work to do in our community, but most important, we have work to do within the Missouri Historical Society to reaffirm that we are an organization that respects differences and embraces and advances racial equity.

Further, the Missouri Historical Society recommits to a core value of practicing diversity and inclusion, creating a culture of equitable practices. We will commit financial and human resources to evaluate existing staff structures and practices, with a goal of eliminating barriers to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.

Finally, the Missouri Historical Society will re-examine its efforts to

• create a welcoming environment for all visitors
• build a work environment that is congenial, accessible, and inclusive
• within the bounds of civility and respect, encourage meaningful dialogue about challenging topics from diverse perspectives.

We commit to a process of listening attentively to one another and leveraging best practices and resources across our organization to promote a culture of inclusion where individuals from all racial and ethnic identities; ages; nationalities; social and economic statuses; sexual orientations; gender identities/expressions; religious, political, and ideological perspectives; and abilities are able to be engaged, feel valued, and thrive.