Ep. 12 Museums: Memory, Power & Public Truth

In honor of Black History Month, Apathy Is Not an Option brings together Lauren Blanding of the SPLC’s Civil Rights Memorial Center, Elizabeth Reese of Woodlawn & Pope-Leighey House and Dan Moore Jr. of Atlanta’s APEX Museum to discuss the role museums play in shaping public memory. As debates over how U.S. history is told continue nationwide, this episode examines how museums defend truth, confront hard histories and preserve Black history at a time when public truth is increasingly contested. Apathy Is Not an Option is a production of PRX and the Southern Poverty Law Center. Nichole Hill and Mark Pagán are the senior producers and editors. Terence Bernardo handles sound design and mixing. I’m your host, Alexandria Beightol. For the SPLC, the executive producers are Cassandra Douglas and Julian Teixeira, with assistance from technical producer Neil Parekh and senior producer Jennifer Lazarus of Digimentors. From PRX Productions, the project manager is Edwin Ochoa, and the EP is Jocelyn Gonzales. Visit splcenter.org and follow us on social media to learn more, take action, and support the work of dismantling white supremacy and advancing racial and economic justice.