Balancing Responsibilities as a Curator and Community Organizer

At the onset of the pandemic, I had been on my role as a Mellon Foundation Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow at the Museum of the City of New York for only a few months. The crisis led to a brief furlough, during which I witnessed friends losing jobs and mourned losses within my community due to COVID-19. That summer, the museum undertook an ambitious project, creating an exhibition to confront the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. As a member of the curatorial team, this task was both complex and delicate: crafting a narrative that resonated with the diverse experiences of all New Yorkers. However, my personal turmoil as a Mott Haven resident, grappling with the chaos, trauma, and police violence of the South Bronx, challenged my ability to process this city-wide narrative. I wish to share some reflections on my journey, navigating the complex intersection of local community struggles and the broader cityscape; in doing so, I will highlight the challenging balance between my responsibilities as a curator and my commitments as a community organizer.