Support Wing Luke Museum staff in Seattle!

Photo from Labor for Palestine

I am late getting to posting about this because news of the strike at the Wing Luke Museum in Seaqttle has not come through the regular labor news channels and from this distance it is hard to know what the latest news there is. The first story below comes from a social media post issued by the museum workers. A report from KING 5 Seattle, also included below, seems to indicate that the museum workers won at least some of their key demands. I am posting this item here because it demonstrates how and why some workers can organize dramatic actions at work and win and because there is a need for on-going solidarity with the Wing Luke Museum workers. The gofundme page is here. A Labor for Palestine post on the strike is here.

Support Wing Luke Museum staff on strike!

UPDATE: On Wednesday, May 22, 2024, twenty-six staff walked out of the Wing Luke Museum, withholding their labor and assuming they would not be compensated during the duration of their strike. On May 26th, Executive Leadership confirmed paid wages for scheduled hours from 5/22/24 - 5/26/24. On Wednesday, May 29th the staff returned to the building to continue dialogue and safety precautions with Leadership. The donations from this GoFundMe will support staff striking efforts from 5/22 - 5/26, and cover lost wages 5/27 and on as the museum remains closed to the public.

Who are the staff, and what are the funds being raised for?

We are a collective of staff from the Wing Luke Museum who have brought up concerns with our Executive leadership regarding the Confronting Hate Together exhibit that contains harmful, Zionist language that is not representative of the Museum, its values, our staff, and community (more information below). Due to inaction from Executive leadership, we are currently withholding our labor until our demands are met.

As we are withholding labor, we potentially will not be compensated. These funds would provide financial relief so that we can pay rent, utilities, food, medical bills, and other living expenses here in Seattle. Funds will also assist staff efforts of this walkout (needs, supplies, sustenance).

Every dollar counts in ensuring that we continue this work of advocating for the safety and well-being of staff, fighting against harmful language and actions that speak to Zionism, white supremacy, and colonialism, and representing our Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA/NHPI) community with integrity and compassion.

What is the Confronting Hate Together exhibit?

The Confronting Hate Together exhibit shares perspectives that conflate anti-Zionism as antisemitism. As Jewish Voices for Peace outlines, anti-semitism is discrimination, targeting, violence, and dehumanizing stereotypes directed at Jews because they are Jewish. Anti-Zionism is opposing the political ideology of Zionism, which resulted in the expulsion of 750,000 Indigenous Palestinians from their land and homes in 1948, and is the basis of the ongoing genocide. By conflating these two terms, the Confronting Hate Together exhibit is upholding Zionism, and thereby dangerously erasing the violence and oppression of Palestinians.

We communicated our demands with Executive leadership through a letter sent on Sunday, May 19; however, despite their acknowledgement and understanding of our demands, they made the decision shortly before the private exhibit opening reception the evening of Tuesday, May 21, for the exhibit to still open to the public without any changes.

As of Wednesday, May 22, we are collectively withholding labor until the demands (listed below) are met.

We would like to acknowledge this protest is not in regards to the text written by the Black Heritage Society or the Wing Luke Museum.

What are your demands?

1. Remove any language in any Wing Luke Museum publication and question any partnerships that attempt to frame Palestinian liberation and anti-Zionism as antisemitism.

2. Acknowledge the limited perspectives presented in this exhibition. Missing perspectives include those of Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslim communities who are also experiencing an increased amount of violence, scapegoating, and demonization as Zionist forces continue the genocide in Palestine.

3. Require Community Advisory Committee (CAC) review of all pop-up exhibits including a community review of the revised Confronting Hate Together exhibit content. For more information on our CAC process and why it is fundamental to our museum's work, click here .

4. Center voices and perspectives that align with the museum’s mission & values by platforming community stories within an anti-colonial, anti-white supremacist framework.

What is the Wing Luke Museum?

The Wing Luke Museum is the only pan-AA/NHPI museum in the country, based in Seattle's historic Chinatown-International District, whose mission to "connect everyone to the dynamic history, cultures, and art of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders through vivid storytelling and inspiring experiences to advance racial and social equity."

We love the Wing Luke Museum and are consistently honored to steward the stories of our community members, many of whom have experienced the destructive harm of white supremacy, genocide, and violence that parallels the experience of Palestinians today. Our solidarity with Palestine should be reflected in our AA/NHPI institutions.

We are humbled by the community love and support during this time, and encourage you to share this with your networks. Please also consider writing to Wing Luke Museum executive staff at the PR email address to express your solidarity with us, or use an email template found on bit.ly/wlmwalkout.

Thank you,

Wing Luke Museum staff on strike

The King 5 report is here: