The Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience found itself embroiled in controversy this week as staff members staged a walkout on Wednesday, in protest of content featured in a new exhibit.
The museum’s website announced its temporary closure, with plans to provide updates soon. Additionally, Saturday’s scheduled Spring Market event was canceled.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the museum addressed the recent walkout, stating that it stemmed from concerns regarding the content displayed in the exhibit titled “Confronting Hate Together.” The exhibit aims to explore issues of anti-Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander hate, Black hate, and anti-Jewish hate.
However, the controversy arose over the inclusion of what some staff members perceived as Zionist language in the exhibit. A collective of museum workers participating in the walkout expressed solidarity with Palestine and objected to what they described as platforming colonial and white supremacist perspectives.
The Instagram account “Wlm4palestine” posted a call for support, urging followers to email the Wing Luke Museum’s executive leadership to voice their concerns.
From Wing Luke Museum’s Instagram account
The Wing Luke Museum said it looks forward to reopening its doors in the future and continuing to serve the community.
This is sad and it’s disheartening to see the lack of support Jews are getting from Asians who should know better than anybody that it’s wrong to discriminate or be racist towards somebody in Seattle because of the wrongs of people of their ethnicity in another country.
This is a sad reflection on the museum and highlights why the exhibit is needed in the first place.
Hmmm, there is a petition to de-open. It’s definitely gaining traction. They want to keep the dialogue open rather than close the museum.
https://www.change.org/p/re-open-wing-luke-museum-confronting-hate-together