2. Black people should be involved in every step of the curatorial process (and beyond).

 

Following from the values of grassroots and community self-organising, exhibitions and arts events about Black people should be managed by Black people and professionals. It is imperative to engage with communities being portrayed in exhibits, and exhibitions about blackness (or parts thereof) are not always curated by black people, such as Linsey Young lead-curating rooms about Black feminism in Women in Revolt!. Black people must be consulted with from the start and should lead exhibitions about our own communities – this is instrumental in allowing understanding on how public opinion about an exhibition on a sensitive topic might be received and can curtail any potentially unethical practice. It is also important to note that blackness is a shared quality between Black people that cannot be fully understood by non-Black people, and the sanctity of that means exhibitions about blackness should remain in the hands of Black folk. If a curator is non-Black and is exhibiting an exhibition that discussing blackness, they should consult with Black curators and communities and have at least full curatorial collaboration on that topic, ideally allowing a Black curator to manage that section of the topic entirely (this is not always practical or possible, so curatorial collaboration is sufficient). It is also important that the exhibition itself is made accessible to Black communities, perhaps through actions like participatory events and a tiered pricing ticket system.