First Jew of colour to lead an American Jewish museum resigns, citing racism and sexism

Gugulethu Moyo is publicly accusing the board of the Tucson Jewish History Museum of dysfunction fuelled by racism and sexism

Gugulethu Moyo’s speech last week at a conference for staff members at American Jewish museums was supposed to help chart an optimistic future for the field.

Moyo had planned to talk about how to cultivate leaders from marginalised groups in museums, drawing on her experience as the first Jew of colour to head a Jewish museum, on a panel called ’Space Makers and Risk Takers.’

Instead, she felt compelled to share some surprising news with her audience: She had just resigned as the executive director of Tucson’s Jewish History Museum.

‘I told them, “I can’t talk about that because I was unable any longer to make space for me,’” Moyo told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

Her resignation capped a period of increasing acrimony between Moyo and the Jewish History Museum’s board. Six months after the museum’s board unanimously selected her to lead the museum, Moyo is publicly accusing the board of dysfunction fuelled by racism and sexism — and the board is threatening to sue her for allegedly leaking private information.

FULL STORY First Jew of colour to lead an American Jewish museum resigns, citing gender and racial discrimination (JTA)

Photo: Ugulethu Moyo, former executive director of the Jewish History Museum in Tucson, Arizona. (Courtesy of Gugulethu Moyo)