Nearly 30 Seattle museum staffers have shut down the art center in protest of its new “Confronting Hate Together’’ exhibit, claiming portions of the show “conflate anti-Zionism as antisemitism.”
The workers, who form about half of the staff at the Wing Luke Museum, stormed off the job Wednesday, the day the exhibit opened, forcing the site to close and vowing to remain on strike till their demands are met.
“Zionism has no place in our communities and being anti-Zionist goes hand in hand with our own liberation as AA/NHPI,” wrote the disgruntled staffers, who work at the only pan-Asian art and history museum in the United States. “Our solidarity with Palestine should be reflected in our AA/NHPI institutions.”
The 26 striking workers are demanding their employer remove any language from the exhibit that “attempt[s] to frame Palestinian liberation and anti-Zionism as antisemitism,” acknowledge its “limited perspectives,” conduct a community review of it and “center voices and perspectives that align with the museum’s mission and values,” the group wrote on social media.
The exhibit is designed to explore anti-Asian American, Native American and Pacific Islander hate, Black hate and anti-Jewish hate, according to the museum’s website. The show was supposed to run from Wednesday through June 30.
Part of the display that the striking staffers are taking issue with is a panel from the Jewish Historical Society that starts off saying, “Today, antisemitism is often disguised as anti-Zionism.”
The disgruntled workers raised concerns about how the exhibit “conveyed Zionist perspectives,” according to their social media post.
“What is happening in Palestine directly reflects violent colonization and imperialism that has and continues to impact Asian American, Native American and Pacific Islander (AA/NHP) diaspora for generations,” the group wrote online.
“Our Museum’s exhibits, education and programs have brought together communities, shared hard histories and conversations and helped create joy and light among the darkness of what AA/NHPI diaspora often feel and experience.”
Zionism refers to the movement to establish a Jewish state in the Middle East, with Israelis believing their country is their ancestral homeland and the Palestinians saying the territory was taken from them.
After Wednesday’s staff walk-out, the museum issued a statement in support of their employees to their website.
“Members of Wing Luke Museum’s staff held a respectful walk-out in protest of content on display in a new exhibit,” the museum said.
“As an organization rooted in dialogue, we acknowledge and support the right of our staff to express their beliefs and personal truths and to this end, we are holding space for a careful and thoughtful process of listening with intent to hear multiple perspectives in pursuit of a mutual way forward.
“After closing the Museum this week to listen and earnestly engage in dialog with our staff, the Museum looks forward to opening our doors at a future date so that we can continue serving our community in other needed capacities during this time. Please look for updates from us.”
The museum says it plans to offer free admission to the community to experience the exhibit when it reopens.