Erasure is a real thing. And it almost happened to me.
The story above appeared in Tuesday’s New York Times and announced the appointment of my successor, Dr. Raymond Codrington, as president and CEO of Weeksville Heritage Center. That’s a wonderful thing. Except they go into the story of Weeksville’s turnaround including the “Save Weeksville” campaign and its entry into the New York City Cultural Institutions Group, and there’s no mention of me.
Huh?
This is how the article opens:
You read this and the suggested takeaway is that there was no leadership during this period. Rather, this comes across as “Weeksville”–the institution, broadly speaking–launched a crowdfunding campaign. Moreover, it was “local politicians”, out of an abundance of concern for the organization, who went to the City to lobby for this special status. A seemingly obvious question was never asked: Who led that effort?
My presence at the helm of this organization during this crucial period was written out of the story. After point this out, the Times admitted its oversight and updated the article the today by adding me into the story further down. I appreciate this:
But it’s important to have a full accounting of the history of our organizations and who played a role in shaping that. So I recorded the following video and shared it, first on IG, then to my other social channels. Watch:
It is always important to claim what you know to be true. More importantly, I didn’t want to let this story sit out here with my contributions expunged, as if I was never there. I refused to be silent and carry that around with me. To do so would be to accept the violence and harm that erasure entails. It would allow others to minimize and deny the commitment that I made to the institution and to that role.
Two things in my favor, though: I can tell my own story and so many of you know that story to be true because you all watched it happen.
More to come, I’m sure.
A quick update (4/10/21):
Yes, the New York Times bears some responsibility for not asking the question–“Who led the organization before Dr. Codrington?”. That’s Journalism 101. But, as a former PR guy, I can tell you that the “new CEO appointment” alone isn’t enough of a news hook. I suspect that the story then needed to shift to include the news of Weeksville’s turnaround and CIG designation, which had not been covered (we were supposed to have a big announcement event of the CIG designation at Weeksville on March 13, 2020, just as the world was shutting down). At that point, the question of previous leadership should’ve been asked. Again, that’s on the Times. However, once that directional shift happened it seems like Weeksville should’ve spoken up.
The Times can’t report what it wasn’t told.
The organization’s narrative and history have to be handled better going forward. To not do so is a disservice to not only to me and my role in pushing the institution forward but to the new CEO who deserves a clean entry into the role. It’s a disservice to Weeksville and its relationship with the media with whom trust is paramount. Lastly, it’s a disservice to the community that expects to have the full story told.
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