Museums and Remembrance Day - 2022 Edition

This has been an interesting year at ANSM; a year of change and a year of growth. We have been building bridges with people and communities, and stretching our perspectives as a result. The readings and resources that have crossed our desks have kept us awake and helped us sleep at night. And last week one article perfectly stated:

"Speak the truth even if your voice shakes."

This was in the context of decolonization and reconciliation, but I ended up pondering the statement more broadly, as it applies to every aspect of museum work. From working conditions to choosing which stories and voices to highlight in exhibits, we need to always remember that museums are not (and have never been) neutral. Everyone outside of the museum sector recognizes this; our community conversations have consistently included calls to not shy away from uncomfortable history but instead tell the whole story. We need to use our voices to speak the truth, whatever the truth may be. 

Remembrance Day feels like the perfect time to reflect on this call to action. So often in our commemorative exhibits we focus on stories of heroism and bravery and the men and women in our communities who served overseas or made significant contributions on the home front. We need to ask ourselves: Do our voices shake when we tell these stories? Are they the whole truth? 

As I thought about this, stories from my father kept swirling in my head. Family stories. Private stories. Telling the whole truth would most certainly make my voice shake. It is not comfortable. But it is important, so let's go there. Let's talk about Grandma's brother Fred.

Fred drove a tank during the Second World War. While serving in Italy, he and some friends were walking through a town. They encountered some local women who invited them into a house for some 'socializing.' As soon as the men were inside, the door closed and the women attacked them, stabbing them each multiple times. I don't know what happened to the other men or women, but Fred survived, and spent a long time recuperating in hospital. While in the hospital, Fred's tank was destroyed and the entire crew lost. He never forgave himself for not being there for his buddies. Having not one, but two traumatic experiences that were so intensely personal in such quick succession would damage anyone. Fred was no exception. If this happened today he would undoubtedly be diagnosed with PTSD. In the 1940s, 'the war changed him.' 

Fred made it through the war, came back home, married and had a son. They have richer and fuller and more positive stories to share with you. He was also especially close with one of his sisters who ended up living in the United Stated. In her eyes he could do no wrong. But from my father's childhood perspective, Fred was scary. He was unpredictable and volatile. He drank a lot, threatened people with knives, threw things, and was incredibly hurtful in his words and actions. He was a person in a lot of pain and in need of help. 

Relationships and family dynamics are complex. When I unwittingly mentioned the sad state of the family Bible to my great aunt (Fred's favourite sister) and that I was going to get it repaired, she was horrified to hear that it wasn't in the pristine condition she remembered. She asked what happened, so I relayed that Dad told me Fred had thrown it down the stairs. She gasped, denied, and then swung into sisterly protective mode. She would pay for it, she would handle it, no need to focus on or worry about how it got damaged. I imagine this kind of family response happened more than once after Fred returned from the war. 

This is not the kind of story you see in museums' Remembrance Day exhibits. Of course Fred's story includes heroism and bravery. But it is far more complex than that. It also demonstrates the impact of trauma on an individual and their family. It is private, uncomfortable, and makes my fingers shake as I type and think about my father's relaying of these stories and the fear he still feels so many years later. It is important to speak this truth. It is important to tell the whole story; the other side of Fred's military service.

Circling back to what we heard and talked through during this year's community conversations, some people look to museums as the trusted source of information while others have no trust in us at all. In both cases, we need to prove that we are trustworthy. And one of the best ways to do that is to speak the truth, even if our voice shakes.