When will our efforts no longer be called for?

gmcdaniel4444@gmail.com

2 years ago

“Museums Honor Victims of Tragedies by Preserving Memorials”

NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt

March 24, 2018.

About 5 years ago, I was contacted by NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt because they were planning a broadcast on how museums honor the victims of tragedies by preserving memorials, and were inquiring about our efforts to preserve the many thousands of tangible expressions of grief after the tragedy at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC.

While the editors focused on Orlando and chose to feature Charleston only by way of a photograph, they did make clear in their broadcast the point I’d underscored: how much it means to family members and the community when museums preserve artifacts people have left in memory of the deceased and in hopes for a better future.

It was touching to see Orlando curator Pam Schwartz, whom I advised through their museum and community recovery efforts, in tears as she discussed artifacts, and for me to hear the two family members discuss how important it was to know their loved ones had been remembered and valued.

Pam and I later appeared together in a professional panel at the American Alliance of Museums’ annual conference.

The personal and the professional — two sides to our life.

When will such tragedies stop? When will our efforts no longer be called for?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR – George W. McDaniel, Ph.D., is President of McDaniel Consulting, LLC, a strategy firm that helps organizations use history to build bridges within itself and to its broader constituents. The company’s tag line, “Building Bridges through History,” is grounded in McDaniel’s personal beliefs and his experience in site management, preservation, education, board development, fundraising, and community outreach. Rather than using history to divide us, he strives to help organizations use history, especially local history, to enhance cross-cultural understanding and to support local museums, preservation, and education. Dr. McDaniel led volunteer efforts with Emanuel AME Church and historical organizations in Charleston to use historic preservation to enhance racial reconciliation and healing. McDaniel is also the Executive Director Emeritus of Drayton Hall, a historic site in Charleston, SC, owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He retired from Drayton Hall in 2015 after 25 years of distinguished service.

A frequent writer, speaker, and facilitator about such issues,

he can be reached at gmcdaniel4444@gmail.com

or through his website www.mcdanielconsulting.net.

All images courtesy of the author unless otherwise noted.