Notes From the Editor

Dezirae DaCosta

This issue is a call to action for our sector. As highlighted by our contributors, our industry and our institutions are uniquely situated within the context of reconciliation. We have a complex history, from our problematic pasts at times engaging in appropriation and exclusion, to our current positionality central in cultural dialogue, education, and innovation. What we do with that history and that legacy going forward will not only define us as an industry, but as a nation. Our institutions are keepers of the past, of knowledge, history, and culture, but that does not mean that we should not look to the present and future. Through uplifting marginalized voices, meaningfully including indigenous projects, giving space to indigenous-led initiatives, and rebuilding relationships with indigenous groups, we can seek to heal and create a powerful legacy of justice and inclusion going forward. Highlighted in this issue are several initiatives which at their heart engage in reconciliation, repatriation, and calls to action. I hope that you approach these projects with an open heart and take inspiration from the work that has been done to motivate the work going forward.

Dezirae DaCosta, Managing Editor, Roundup ddacosta@museumsassn.bc.ca