It's up to us...

It's up to us...

It's up to us...

Nearly 400 of our museum colleagues are in Washington, D.C. today and tomorrow to make the case that museums play an essential and vibrant role in our communities. These museum professionals will receive policy briefings and advocacy training before making their case in over 400 meetings with congressional offices during the American Alliance of Museums’ (AAM) Annual Museums Advocacy Day. 

Many of us have heard that the stakes have never been higher for museums and, with a strong possibility of significant budget cuts looming overhead, that appears to be the case. Reports indicate that the Trump administration may propose eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, two agencies that support museums in every state. Check out how much NEA and NEH funding comes back to California, and then make sure your representatives hear how vital these agencies are for our institutions. 

It’s up to all of us to make our voices heard. The good news is that we don’t have to travel to Capitol Hill to join the cause. Take a look at AAM’s Advocate from Anywhere toolkit to find out how you can join the nationwide effort to make the case for museums from home.

Let’s all take a few minutes out of our schedules this week to make sure our members of Congress, and elected officials at the state and local level, hear from the most influential kind of advocates: their constituents.