WLM Workers Media Kit
About WLM Staff
On Wednesday, May 22, 2024, twenty-four Wing Luke Museum (WLM) staged a walkout at the WLM in protest of limited and anti-Palestinian perspectives shared in its newest exhibit, Confronting Hate Together. These staff members have publicly made their Calls to Action known and are withholding labor until their demands are met. WLM Staff ask for the Museum’s Executive Leadership to recommit to the institution’s unique and powerful mission of Community-based storytelling centering underrepresented communities. Learn more and follow updates at instagram.com/wlm4palestine.
Contact Details:
Email: wlmstaff24@gmail.com
Social Media: @wlm4palestine
Media Images:
When possible, please reference the locations of the photos: they are important to the history of the Chinatown-International District as a historically marginalized community of immigrants, refugees, and workers. The WLM Workers intentionally created these images to protect the anonymity of WLM Workers.
Notes on Anonymity:
1) We are striving for a collective purpose and we are making decisions as a group.
2) We were recruited to Wing Luke Museum under the community-based approach.
3) We want to protect our staff from doxxing.
Community-based Organizing
In our organizing efforts as WLM Staff, we strive to act in alignment with the Community-based model of Wing Luke Museum. We recognize the collective contributions of all and aim to divide our organizing labor with equity. There is no formalized leader of this process. We, as a collective, are making decisions as a group, and we were recruited to Wing Luke Museum under the community-based model and Community-based approach.
Our community relationships give us meaning and purpose. We encourage all members of our WLM Staff to take ownership over labor and to be empowered to act. Learn more.
Published Links from WLM Staff
- Announcing the Call to Action
- Detailed Timeline of Wing Luke Museum Staff & Executive Leadership Communications
- Action Network Campaign
- GoFundMe Campaign
- 5.19 Letter to Executive Leadership
- Photos of the panel(s) that the collective found objectionable*
*As of 5/22/2024.
Published Links from WLM Executive Leadership
- WLM Executive Statement Responding to WLM Staff Protest
- Confronting Hate Together Exhibit Page
- Press Release (May 6, 2024) regarding Confronting Hate Together
FAQ
How did this begin?
The timeline post on our IG (@wlm4palestine) is the clearest way to retrace our steps.
How is the Confronting Hate Together exhibit different from other exhibits at WLM?
Wing Luke Museum published the Community-based Exhibition Model book on January 1, 2006.
We defer to WLM Executive Leadership in this exhibit’s process and the typical review process for pop-up exhibitions and permanent exhibits.
We affirm that the usual “Community-Based Exhibition Model” was not followed for Confronting Hate Together and we place responsibility on WLM Executive Leadership — we do not blame other partners, other organizations, even other WLM staff; we affirm that the responsibility for this exhibit, and what is seen in WLM is on WLM Executives alone. Most exhibits are not permanent, our exhibits are grounded in contemporary issues. Learn more about Exhibits at WLM.
What was the collective’s response to Executive leadership citing that they need to consult with their partners when staff raised concerns to revise language?
Our response to Executive Leadership is that we invite them to “question any partnerships that attempt to frame Palestinian liberation and anti-Zionism as antisemitism.”
What is the role of Museums in taking a stance on global events?
Museums are not neutral. We echo this sentiment for all museums. The role of a museum is to educate, to provide an artful and peaceful space for reflection, and to foster learning and provide a model for confronting bias, prejudice, or colonialist history.
How does WLM relate to Palestinian Liberation?
Palestinians are West Asians. What is happening to Palestinians reflects the experience of other AANHPI histories. There is a vibrant community of Palestinian Americans in Seattle and across the US. Wing Luke Museum’s mission is “connect everyone to the dynamic history, cultures, and art of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders through vivid storytelling and inspiring experiences to advance racial and social equity.”
What about anti-Semitism?
We condemn anti-Semitism.
Have you faced retaliation?
We want to use this opportunity to reiterate that we as staff do not and will never condone harassment towards any of our colleagues or other organizations or groups of people. Harassment has no place in the accountability process.
Who is protesting?
A majority of our walkout collective is made up of the most vulnerable employees of the Wing Luke Museum — front of house staff and part-time workers. 24 of the 52 WLM Staff across departments and organization levels joined walkouts on Wednesday, May 22, 2024.
• 18 of these Staff members are Front of House (FOH), Public-facing Staff
• 10 of which are Part Time (PT), Non-Benefited Staff
There are currently** 22 known WLM Staff striking (who have reached out to wlmstaff24 to share their intent, though others may be supportive). These 22 represent the least paid, least benefitted, and most vulnerable members of staff.
What can people do?
Please follow us on Instagram @wlm4palestine as our main platform for communicating updates about the situation. If it is within your means, we have a GoFundMe for mutual aid.
**updated 5/27/2024 11:28am
