Friday, October 20, 2023, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.

A Conversation on the Commons featuring Ken Turino (Historic New England) and Joan Ilacqua (The History Project)

Too often, we schedule programs to check off boxes. Instead, diversity and inclusion should inform all of our programming throughout the year.

In this Conversation, Panelists Joan Ilaqua (Executive Director of The History Project) and Ken Turino (Manager of Community Partnerships and Resource Development at Historic New England) will discuss how we address (or fail to address) issues of gender diversity/gender equity/gender identity in our museums. How can we practically make our staff and visitors in the LGBTQ+ community feel more included? What information already lies hidden in our collections? How do we research and document LGBTQ+ history in our communities? What have we failed to see? What have we failed to say? How do we make our program planning more equitable and inclusive, and not just send out a little highlight factoid every June?

Registration is free.

We will do our best to monitor your questions and comments during the conversation. A recording will be publicly available in the Conversations on the Commons Archive.

Questions? Email commons@masshistoryalliance.org


Conversations on the Commons

Where people from Massachusetts history organizations get to vent, empathize, laugh, complain, think, collaborate, brainstorm, plan, and in general be up to no good.