A Letter from Marc Glimcher

Pace Gallery President & CEO

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Dear Friends,

Over the past weeks we were horrified as we witnessed the senseless murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others.

We expressed rage, sadness, and disbelief to family and friends. What we didn’t do, and what we all need to do, is realize that this expression of horror has become the problem—just as much as a badge and a gun in the hands of a racist officer.

How can we, as white Americans, continue to soothe ourselves merely by being outraged by the conditions Black Americans have been forced to live with for years, decades, centuries? Our righteous resignation is the weapon that the racist institutions wield with deadly force, allowing society to stagnate and cling to the injustices woven into its fabric from the days of genocide and enslavement.

We can no longer be content telling ourselves, “I’m not racist.” When innocent people are being strangled by the police, it doesn’t matter whether I consider myself racist or not. If we are not part of the change, then we are empowering the destruction of all principles and ideals we claim to hold dear.

Change starts with speaking out, standing in solidarity, and, of course, with ourselves, families, and workplaces, and only then can it extend to our communities and government. So, we at Pace are committing ourselves to looking in the mirror and making the changes that are needed.

We are starting this process with an audit of our systems and processes to fully expose the ways in which we are part of the problem. Our goal is to address the issues and make real, sustainable change in order to realize justice and equality in the way we do business. We will engage the Pace community, both internally and in our broader cultural sphere, to understand what they feel we are doing right and what we are doing wrong. We will continue to wholeheartedly support the participation of our staff in rallies and protests.

In the greater art world, I encourage museum and fellow gallery leaders to take accountability for the ways we uphold systemic racism in this country, and to begin your own processes of reassessment. I am open to collaboration with other galleries and museums who are willing to do this work together.

And I will continue to participate in the democratic system and use my power to vote for candidates that share these values, not only in words but in action.

We will use the influence we have to push our leaders to institute real change. We will demand a reassessment of the role of police in our society, and just consequences for police that commit murder and acts of terror on Black and Brown communities.

We hope for peace, understanding, and a willingness to face our culpability, so that the promise of our principles can conquer the persistence of our prejudice.

Sincerely,
Marc

Anti-Racism Resources

Where to donate:

  • Black Lives Matter is a global organization in the US, UK, and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes.
  • George Floyd Memorial Fund raises money to directly support George’s family with costs related to his death, including funeral and burial expenses, counseling and travel expenses for court proceedings as they continue their fight. The money will also go towards care for his children and their education fund.
  • The Loveland Foundation started by Rachel Cargle, is a nonprofit that provides financial assistance for Black women and girls seeking mental health support.
  • Campaign Zero is dedicated to police reform and works with a 10-point plan aimed at reducing violence. It's always been an important cause but feels especially urgent now.
  • NAACP’s Legal Defense and Educational Fund uses litigation, advocacy, and public education to work towards racial justice and equality for all Americans.
  • The ACLU remains a champion of segments of the population who have traditionally been denied their rights, with much of our work today focused on equality for people of color, women, gay and transgender people, prisoners, immigrants, and people with disabilities.
  • Color of Change leads campaigns that build real power for Black communities. They challenge injustice, hold corporate and political leaders accountable, commission game-changing research on systems of inequality, and advance solutions for racial justice that can transform our world.
  • Reclaim the Block began in 2018 and organizes Minneapolis community and city council members to move money from the police department into other areas of the city’s budget that truly promote community health and safety.
  • Communities United Against Police Brutality is a Twin-Cities based organization that was created to deal with police brutality on an ongoing basis, providing support for survivors of police brutality and families of victims so they can reclaim their dignity and join the struggle to end police brutality.
  • The Equal Justice Initiative is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the U.S., challenging racial and economic injustice, and protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.
  • Fair Fight is building voter protection teams with Democratic state parties or local allies across the country to protect the right to vote
  • The Brennan Center for Justice is an independent, nonpartisan law and policy organization that works to reform, revitalize, and when necessary, defend our country’s systems of democracy and justice.
  • The Southern Poverty Law Center monitors hate groups and other extremists throughout the U.S. and exposes their activities to law enforcement agencies, the media and the public.
  • Black Visions Collective, a black, trans, and queer-led social justice organization and legal fund based in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Bail Funds:

  • Community Bail Funds — Donating through this secure platform is an easy way to support protestors nationwide. The site equally divides your donation between 38 community bail funds or allows you to allocate a desired amount to each fund.
  • The Bail Project is a nonprofit that aims to mitigate incarceration rates through bail reform.
  • The National Bail Fund Network also has a directory of community bail funds to which you can donate, along with a COVID-19 rapid response fund. Another list of funds is available here.

Articles:

Podcasts:

Books:

Films and TV Series:

  • 13th (Ava DuVernay) — Netflix
  • American Son (Kenny Leon) — Netflix
  • Black Power Mixtape: 1967-1975 — Available to rent
  • Clemency (Chinonye Chukwu) — Available to rent
  • Dear White People (Justin Simien) — Netflix
  • Fruitvale Station (Ryan Coogler) — Available to rent
  • I Am Not Your Negro (James Baldwin doc) — Available to rent on Kanopy
  • If Beale Street Could Talk (Barry Jenkins) — Hulu
  • Just Mercy (Destin Daniel Cretton) — Available to rent
  • King In The Wilderness  — HBO
  • See You Yesterday (Stefon Bristol) — Netflix
  • Selma (Ava DuVernay) — Available to rent
  • The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution — Available to rent
  • The Hate U Give (George Tillman Jr.) — Hulu with Cinemax
  • When They See Us (Ava DuVernay) — Netflix

Organizations to follow on social media:

  • News — A Letter from Marc Glimcher, Jun 2, 2020