{"id":447,"date":"2019-10-31T13:38:20","date_gmt":"2019-10-31T17:38:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/slis.simmons.edu\/blogs\/lis476\/?p=447"},"modified":"2019-10-31T13:41:05","modified_gmt":"2019-10-31T17:41:05","slug":"saving-sheldon-jackson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/slis.simmons.edu\/blogs\/lis476\/?p=447","title":{"rendered":"Saving Sheldon Jackson"},"content":{"rendered":"

How Alaskan advocacy gives the Sheldon Jackson Museum a fighting chance in the face of imminent peril<\/em><\/h3>\n

By Karen Trop<\/h4>\n

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Composite Image. Friends of Sheldon Jackson Museum. State Proposes to SELL Sheldon Jackson Museum and Collection. Friends of Sheldon Jackson Museum, 29 Mar. 2019, friendsofsjm.com\/2019\/03\/14\/state-proposes-to-sell-sheldon-jackson-museum-and-collection\/.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

IN EARLY MARCH 2019, <\/strong>word spread across the state of Alaska that newly incumbent Governor Michael Dunleavy was trying to sell the state-run Sheldon Jackson Museum (SJM).[1]<\/sup><\/a> Governor Dunleavy was elected on a campaign platform that promised to increase the value of the permanent fund dividend (a once-per-year check cut to all eligible Alaskans from the state\u2019s oil revenue coffers) from an average of $1,600 to an amount close to $6,000.[2]<\/sup><\/a> Once in office this promise materialized in the form of severe and unprecedented budget cuts across all aspects of the FY2020 state budget. In response to Dunleavy\u2019s directive to reduce spending, the House Finance Subcommittee for the Department of Education and Early Development announced the state\u2019s plan to \u201csell or transfer\u201d the SJM[3]<\/sup><\/a>, one of Sitka\u2019s premier tourist destinations with a collection of 5,900 artifacts representing all of the native groups in Alaska.[4]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

The public swiftly responded to the news. Over the next few weeks key Alaskan political figures, Alaska residents, professional organizations and advocacy groups came out in organized opposition to the museum\u2019s sale. Within days of the news breaking, Senator Bert Stedman went on record to call the\u00a0 plan \u201ccrazy.\u201d[5]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Simultaneously, the Friends of the Sheldon Jackson Museum (a non-profit fundraising network for SJM) posted their own call to action. The Friends encouraged supporters to spread the news, including that \u201cif you are associated with an organization you might consider having a supporting article in your newsletter.\u201d[6]<\/sup><\/a> The Friends\u2019 impassioned plea for supporters to email the Division Director, State Libraries, Archives and Museums, as well as Chief Curator, Alaska State Museums, their support is as follows:<\/p>\n

Let them know you wish them to do everything in their power to save the Sheldon Jackson Museum from this pillage. Give them your experiences at the Museum and if you\u2019ve had family and friends from out of town, let them know that too. If your kids have experienced programs or had the chance to use the hands-on materials let them know. The Sheldon Jackson Museum is an EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION![7]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Later that week, Museums Alaska (a professional organization for Alaskan museums and professionals) published an \u201cAdvocacy Alert\u201d informing readers of the SJM\u2019s threatened status. In similar form, the post also encouraged readers to share social media posts in support of SJM while tagging their elected officials\u2019 social media handles. Other resources provided were a template letter of support for SJM and a call for interested parties to participate in the organization\u2019s Advocacy Task Force.[8]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

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Screenshot. Friends of Sheldon Jackson Museum. \u201c\u2018PLEASE SHARE…”.\u201d Facebook.com, March 27, 2019. https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/270415132993429\/posts\/please-share-the-house-finance-committee-is-seeking-input-on-the-state-operating\/2411474008887520\/.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Board of Directors of Museums Alaska also sent a letter of support directly to Gov. Dunleavy\u2019s office. The letter argued, among many aspects, that the SJM operates as \u201can economic driver and beloved community asset.\u201d The letter strongly discouraged selling the museum\u2019s collection on the hypothesis that the sale \u201cwould require a great deal of time, money, legal assistance, consultation with tribes, and possibly even court proceedings.\u201d[9]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

In the following weeks, local news outlets continued their coverage on SJM\u2019s uncertain future. KCAW Radio published an opinion article written by Friends of SJM board member Rosemary Carlton, titled \u201cA passionate opponent of closing the doors on Alaska\u2019s history.\u201d[10]<\/sup><\/a> Carlton\u2019s opinion that \u201cthis invaluable collection should remain in Alaska and forever have its doors open\u201d would reverberate through public testimony.[11]<\/sup><\/a> As reported by Robert Woolsey, KCAW, sixty-two Sitka residents voiced displeasure with the state\u2019s budget cuts on the whole at the Town Hall meeting of March 24. Frederick Olsen, Jr. spoke directly against the proposal to sell the museum, saying:<\/p>\n

I guess one of the last straws for me with this budget proposal was when he started talking about selling off museums. When you start to talk about this \u2014 or even take it seriously \u2014 you\u2019re really feeding into this colony [sic] mindset. And you see the embedded conflicts of interest where on the one side you see oil payoffs, and on the left side, society.[12]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Though the advocacy efforts of Alaskans has made it clear to the Dunleavy administration that selling the Sheldon Jackson Museum will not and cannot be an easy fix, the museum still faces an uneasy future. However, perhaps not as unstable as Gov. Dunleavy\u2019s administration itself. As of September 5, 2019, over 49,000 signatures have been collected in support of recalling the governor, well over the required amount required to file the application.[13]<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 As Alaskans continue to face uncertain times, many now stand united in support of protecting Alaska\u2019s cultural heritage.<\/p>\n

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[1]<\/sup><\/a> Matthew Shuckerow, Press Secretary to Governor Dunleavy, clarified that the budget \u201cdoes not call for the sale of the museum or its assets. However, in light of a $1.6 billion deficit, it does call for the removal of state funding for museum operations beginning July 1, 2019.\u201d Either way, the operation of the museum has been put at risk. From Enrique P\u00e9rez de la Rosa, \u201cSheldon Jackson Museum Supporters, Staff in Dark over Possible Sale of Collection.\u201d KCAW Radio<\/em>, April 15, 2019. https:\/\/www.kcaw.org\/2019\/04\/11\/sheldon-jackson-museum-supporters-staff-in-dark-over-possible-sale-of-collection\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/sup><\/a> Robyn Sundlee, \u201cAlaska’s Universal Basic Income Problem,” Vox<\/em>, 5 Sept. 2019, www.vox.com\/future-perfect\/2019\/9\/5\/20849020\/alaska-permanent-fund-universal-basic-income<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/sup><\/a> United States, House Finance Subcommittee for Department of Education & Early Development (DEED). \u201cBudget Overview: Alaska State Libraries, Archives and Museums,\u201d 2019, pp. 14.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/sup><\/a> Museums Alaska Board of Directors, \u201cLetter in Support of the Sheldon Jackson Museum,\u201d Received by Governor Michael Dunleavy, 19 Mar. 2019, Juneau, Alaska. Accessed October 14, 2019. https:\/\/museumsalaska.org\/resources\/Documents\/2019%20MA%20letter%20of%20support%20Sheldon%20Jackson%20Museum.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

[5]<\/sup><\/a> Enrique P\u00e9rez de la Rosa, \u201cState Plans to Sell Sheldon Jackson Museum in Cost-Cutting Efforts,\u201d KCAW Radio<\/em>, 14 Mar. 2019, www.kcaw.org\/2019\/03\/12\/state-looks-to-sell-sheldon-jackson-museum-in-cost-cutting-efforts\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/sup><\/a> Friends of Sheldon Jackson, \u201cState Proposes to SELL Sheldon Jackson Museum and Collection.\u201d Friends of Sheldon Jackson. 29 Mar. 2019, friendsofsjm.com\/2019\/03\/14\/state-proposes-to-sell-sheldon-jackson-museum-and-collection\/.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/sup><\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/sup><\/a> Museums Alaska, \u201cAdvocacy Alert: Sheldon Jackson Museum.\u201d Museums Alaska, 14 Mar. 2019, museumsalaska.org\/news\/7219967.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/sup><\/a> The letter in its entirety is worth reading. From Museums Alaska Board of Directors, \u201cLetter in Support of the Sheldon Jackson Museum,\u201d https:\/\/museumsalaska.org\/resources\/Documents\/2019%20MA%20letter%20of%20support%20Sheldon%20Jackson%20Museum.pdf.<\/p>\n

[10]<\/sup><\/a> Katherine Rose, \u201cLegislators Prep for Finance Town Hall in Sitka,\u201d KCAW Radio<\/em>, 26 Mar. 2019, www.kcaw.org\/2019\/03\/22\/legislators-prep-for-finance-town-hall-in-sitka\/.<\/p>\n

[11]<\/sup><\/a> Rosemary Carlton, \u201cA Passionate Opponent of Closing the Doors on Alaska’s History,\u201d KCAW Radio<\/em>, 23 Mar. 2019, www.kcaw.org\/2019\/03\/22\/a-passionate-opponent-of-closing-the-doors-on-alaskas-history\/.<\/p>\n

[12]<\/sup><\/a> Olsen\u2019s use of the word \u201ccolony\u201d is likely a reference to Alaska\u2019s long history of colonization.<\/p>\n

From Robert Woolsey, \u201c‘<\/em>We Can’t Do This’: Sitkans Oppose Gov. Dunleavy’s Budget Plans,\u201d KCAW Radio<\/em>, 29 Mar. 2019, www.kcaw.org\/2019\/03\/26\/we-cant-do-this-sitkans-oppose-gov-dunleavys-budget-plans\/.<\/p>\n

[13]<\/sup><\/a> Alex DeMarban and James Brooks, Recall Dunleavy Campaign Turns in 49,000 Signatures Collected in 5 Weeks, Anchorage Daily News<\/em>, September 6, 2019, https:\/\/www.adn.com\/politics\/2019\/09\/05\/recall-dunleavy-campaign-turns-in-48000-signatures-collected-in-five-weeks\/.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How Alaskan advocacy gives the Sheldon Jackson Museum a fighting chance in the face of imminent peril By Karen Trop   IN EARLY MARCH 2019, word spread across the state of Alaska that newly incumbent Governor Michael Dunleavy was trying to sell the state-run Sheldon Jackson Museum (SJM).[1] Governor Dunleavy was elected on a campaign … <\/p>\n

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