Earlier this month, a CapRadio colleague shared an Instagram post that was getting a lot of attention online. The post was from the anonymous story-sharing account @ChangetheMuseum, whose bio said it pressures “US museums to move beyond lip service proclamations by amplifying tales of unchecked racism.”
The specific post told the story of a series of incidents that occurred at the SMUD Museum of Science and Curiosity, or MOSAC, a science center and museum near Old Sacramento. CapRadio has spoken with two people who were employees at the time of the incident who verified the story. The post alleges that an employee at MOSAC was told to “reconsider” their choice to wear a keffiyeh, a traditional Arab headdress. The keffiyeh, especially when black-and-white, can have cultural and political significance to people from Palestine.
It goes on to say: “The next week, more coworkers donned keffiyehs in support of these actions and to stand up for Palestinians who are being dehumanized, starved, and bombed relentlessly. Those employees were each pulled into private meetings and interrogated about the keffiyehs, what it meant to them, and were reprimanded for hurting the feelings of an Israeli director.”
After that, the poster states that museum leadership unveiled a new policy banning "clothing, apparel, or other visible symbols that make a political statement.” The employees CapRadiospoke to said there was only one opportunity to discuss the new policy, and during that conversation, the Executive Director said it would be applied on a “case-by-case” basis. Other political insignia like Pride pins and “I Stand with Ukraine” buttons would still be permitted.
“A lot of us kind of voiced feeling uncomfortable with this policy, and it wasn't really acknowledged,” one current staff member, who chose to remain anonymous for fear of retribution, told CapRadio. There’s more to the story, as told in the full Instagram post.
In response to the incident, MOSAC released a statement saying: “MOSAC's highest priority is to maintain a safe and respectful environment where our employees and guests can engage in science, learning, and fun. We do not tolerate discrimination of any kind and we evaluate and update our policies regularly to ensure the museum is inclusive and welcoming for all.”
Since the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel's bombardment of Gaza in response, the keffiyeh has come under the spotlight as a symbol of solidarity with Palestinians. However, some see the scarf as a provocation, and wearers have been targeted.
Last November, three students of Palestinian descent — two of whom were wearing the keffiyeh — were shot in Vermont. In Europe, activists say they’ve been fined or detained for wearing the scarf, and last weekend, visitors to the MoMA in New York said they were turned away for having one on their person.
“Every time there's a crisis anywhere in the world, everyone in the diaspora feels it in some way and this is a crisis of epic proportions,” said Dr. Sahar Razavi, director of the Iranian and Middle East Studies Center at Sacramento State. Razavi said she wasn’t surprised that this situation had unfolded at MOSAC, but felt it was “extremely troubling.”
“MOSAC calling a keffiyeh ‘political’ is politicizing a cultural identity unfairly in my opinion,” she said. “It is not an inherently political symbol, although some Palestinians who happen to also be political leaders have worn it. But that wasn't because they were political, it's because they were Palestinian.”
Regardless of why staffers were wearing the keffiyeh, experts agreed that MOSAC shouldn’t have implemented a policy that would only be applied to select political statements.
“‘Case-by-case basis’ is probably the most alarming piece that I read in that Instagram post,” said Dr. Camille Broussard Wise, a Sacramento-based DEI consultant. “There are several things that can be contentious in the workplace, so there really has to be an all-or-nothing approach.”
A few things have emerged from this incident. The Sacramento chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations, or CAIR, said they’ve received a civil rights complaint from one of the affected employees.
A current MOSAC staff member told CapRadio tensions are still running high at the museum regarding the policy, and staff are wary of “pushing buttons” of leadership. Staff members overwhelmingly voted to unionize this month, joining CWA Local 9421.
“After watching dozens of their coworkers leave MOSAC in frustration, they determined it was time to work together to stop the hemorrhaging of their skilled brothers and sisters,” the union wrote in a press release, adding that the organization looks forward to negotiating a first contract.
Courtesy CWA Local 9421
MOSAC did not comment on the unionization effort. They did add to their original statement, telling CapRadio last week that they were “deeply saddened to see anonymous and unfounded allegations on social media about perceived discrimination.”
For her part, DEI Consultant Wise said she wouldn’t be surprised if MOSAC’s troubled policy rollout doesn’t prompt other local organizations to determine what their policies will or won’t be when it comes to political statements in the workplace.
“They might be thinking, ‘maybe we need to have a policy around this,’ or maybe ‘we need to be really clear about what is appropriate and what isn’t,’ or maybe ‘we need to make sure we don't have a policy like this,’” she said. “I think it should spark some discussion.”
Professor Razavi said when companies choose to prohibit any political dress they are wading into murky waters — after all, as the saying goes, “everything is political.”
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