Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access (IDEA) at NHMLAC
A message from Dr. Lori Bettison-Varga, President & Director of the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County.
Our Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access (IDEA) goals were built within NHMLAC’s Strategic Framework (adopted in June 2017), with the intention that NHMLAC be a more welcoming and engaging place for all Angelenos.
As we embarked on this project, we established a staff-led IDEA Working Group (IWG) in Fall of 2020, recognizing that bold, institutional change requires ongoing, intentional work, beginning with, but not limited to, creating a truly participatory work environment where everyone is seen, heard, represented, and respected.
As part of this multi-level and cross-departmental team of NHMLAC employees charged with developing and activating IDEA values, the staff members diligently acted as stewards of this process. The work of adopting IDEA values across NHMLAC, and embedding them more fully into our strategic framework is critical to our organization, our staff and contract staff, our volunteers, and the public we serve.
Forging a Bold Path Forward
I am immensely proud of the ongoing, impactful work NHMLAC has undertaken within our internal and external communities. Our Being L.A. community engagement initiative celebrates history, heritage, and communities through stories and multimedia content with an IDEA lens. We have also developed a strategic, innovative approach to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics) through work-based learning, mentorship, and applied skill building. In this work, we are committed to contributing to the development of a competitive and diverse STEAM workforce by prioritizing participants from communities that have been systematically under-resourced and marginalized in these fields. Our commitment to reflecting L.A.'s diverse communities through multilingual resources suffuses every part of our operations, and we have developed a new approach to acquiring and managing our collections, centering on values of sustainability, equity, fairness, and access, and we have piloted an innovative staff recruitment policy to further our equity and inclusion values during the hiring process.
We are embedding IDEA values into all that we do. We are deeply committed to the work necessary to intentionally create a culture of belonging for our staff, visitors, and stakeholders.
At the foundation of our IDEA work is the vital recognition that the land—on which we carry out our work every day—was once and continues to be cared for by vibrant Native American communities, whose elders and descendants we seek guidance from and partner with to amplify our mission to inspire wonder, discovery, and responsibility for our natural and cultural worlds.
For more than a century, NHMLAC has evolved alongside the population of Los Angeles County, a vast multi-ethnic and -cultural community, which today is home to 10 million residents—nearly three-quarters of whom identify as people of color. NHMLAC is committed to openly and thoroughly reflecting this diversity in our programs, collections, exhibitions, research, and staff. We strive to continually mirror the diversity of the communities we serve, ensuring equity and inclusion remain guiding principles for our work.
However, we recognize that valuing inclusion is not enough; it must be actively practiced. Unfortunately, disparities stemming from a long history of systemic oppression persist today. Museums worldwide are confronting a legacy of colonialism, which has, through systems of racism and patriarchy over centuries, influenced collections, research, and other practices. This colonialist history, along with inherent traits of white supremacy culture, continues to negatively affect individuals of all identities in our museums' internal and external communities.
