The Smithsonian is coming to San Antonio next week for its National Conversation on Race series.
It will partner with six local organizations to offer programming to engage open discussions on race in San Antonio.
The National Conversation on Race hosts a kick-off event on Dec. 3 at the Carver Community Cultural Center. Click here for a full list of events running through Dec. 14.
TPR's Marian Navarro spoke with Deborah Mack and Patty Arteaga, the respective director and public programs manager of the Reckoning with Our Racial Past initiative at the Smithsonian Institution, about the series.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Mack: This program is actually part of a series of programs, what we're calling the National Conversation on Race, where we were looking at cities, towns where issues of race have played major roles in their histories, but importantly, we were very aware of a range of organizations that are addressing issues around race — the legacy of race and racism — in their organizational work.
We were very interested in San Antonio in this series. One reason is because of its … I think that the diversity of what makes up 21st century San Antonio. The dynamism of the various cultural institutions that are there, and the fact that many of them actually work across organizations, they work with each other, they work in different ways. We found San Antonio to be particularly interesting, and in many ways, can be serving as a model for other locales across the nation.
Navarro: How would San Antonio serve as a model for other cities? And how has race played a significant role in San Antonio throughout the years that you want to highlight in this programming?
Mack: We wanted to, number one, really focus on a number of organizations that we feel are doing this work. In a sense, amplifying their ability, increasing their visibility for the public and for stakeholders and for funders in the good work that they're doing.
We find that they address the issue of race and how they have come to be where they are today. So, for instance, American Indians in Texas at the Spanish Colonial Missions is one of our program partners. They address, very directly, the disenfranchisement of indigenous people in the State of Texas, historically, but even currently.
Asian Texans for Justice is not as old as some of these organizations but really galvanized its efforts across Asian populations and beyond, working with other organizations to really stand up to a lot of the hate crimes that had escalated over the last few years.
The Esperanza Peace & Justice Center is another non-museum partner that has a very long history of stabilizing community, advocating for community, advocating for cultural recognition, working really to stabilize and support what they consider working class communities that are often invisible in a lot of the developments that happen. Those three are not museums, per se, but they work with the museum organizations as well, and they are really exemplary in the work that they do in really making a very equitable San Antonio.
San Antonio has a really rich, culturally complex history, and sometimes issues of race have had dark shadows. These partners are not the only ones, but they were very visible to us in terms of cultural and community-based work that is also collaborative [and that] calls out race as one of the factors that they need to address to accomplish their organizational goals.
Navarro: With the wide array of programming that is coming to San Antonio as part of the Smithsonian events, we have slavery in Texas, Asian American landmarks, the LatinX Pláticas. How does having these events help guide conversations about race in a community? In our community, specifically.
Arteaga: I think what you see as a plethora and different ways of approaching the topic. With [the] Witte Museum talking about slavery, that's mostly geared towards public historians and also just bringing that academic level into a broader approach. With Latinx Pláticas, it's more of a community base. And same thing with the Asian American landmark seminar, that's geared towards educators. So, I think what we see with all six collaborators is a different way of approaching the very hard topic of race and racism. Again, those different avenues of approaching the topic, whether you're a public historian, an educator, or just someone from the community wanting that space to share, learn, and discuss this topic.
Mack: If I could just add to what Patty has said, I think one of the things which we at Smithsonian are learning so much about — and this is where San Antonio is another excellent example — in the United States, there's sort of a broad national conversation about race as though it's one thing. As though it means one thing, its history is one thing. It's recognized as one thing. Its impact is around one or two things.
Each of these organizations works very closely with its own community of stakeholders and diverse communities of stakeholders, and they understand how their stakeholders are interpreting all this and what they've experienced on a personal and a community level. And it's not one-size-fits-all. We are there to really help spread and amplify their voices. We're also there to learn from them how they understand these issues and how they are addressing these issues in their communities.
Navarro: There's going to be a kickoff conversation that's happening on Dec. 3, prior to the individual events, where a lot of the people from these organizations are going to be present. What can people expect to hear from this talk, and what is the goal of having all these organizations come together prior to the events and to talk to the community?
Arteaga: Not only [are] we bringing together these organizations to put on events, but really handing the microphone on stage and framing the questions of what are the stories? What are the impact cultural organizations and museums are having on this topic of the legacies and race and racism?
It really is a stage and a platform for them to voice it to their local community of what they would like to see. Not only so much focus on the past historical harms or the dark shadow that race can sometimes play in San Antonio, but really an opportunity to look towards the future.
Navarro: Deborah, any other takeaways that you think are important for people who go to these events to try and take with them?
Mack: While there are historical reference points and various historical experiences that communities have had, this is really an opportunity for people to hear about the present and to imagine. To focus on this future facing aspect, because collectively, we think that will take some great shape in San Antonio, once again, serving as a model for collaborative work in moving forward through the 21st century for other communities, for other towns, for other cities.
