Part of the issue for people in this sample was that the demands of their jobs and families left them little time for leisure activities. The "pie" of available time was small to begin with, and many activities were available and of interest to this well-educated, relatively affluent group of people.

Within that comment lay a truth about museum visitation for this sample. For many in this group, a visit to a museum needed to be prompted by a specific exhibit, program or "need". Very few people mentioned that they went to a museum just because they felt like visiting it — except, perhaps, for their very favorite museum.

San Diego Natural History Museum
Most of the people in this sample of minority community leaders did not visit the Natural History Museum on a regular basis, even once a year. The exceptions were those who went a couple of times a year because of personal interest (this person had been a docent many years ago), and the couple of people who went when there was a special exhibit that interested them.

For the rest, the Natural History Museum was not even on the list of museums to attend. The key reason could be summarized as lack of interest and perceived relevance to them.

The perceived relevance was a major barrier to attendance for those in this sample. Some in the sample expressed the belief that the permanent exhibits at the Museum were uninteresting and not meaningful to them.

The only times they would consider going were if there were new or temporary exhibits that excited them — and those might be few and far between.

Parking, the cost, and time were other barriers to attendance noted by this sample. Those barriers would be shared by other museums in Balboa Park. And, it could be argued that those barriers would be easily overcome if the Museum had exhibits and programs that interested respondents enough to come: they were, after all, visiting other museums in Balboa Park. It appeared that the cost and time barriers became significant because some of the sample didn’t feel that they would get enough value from their visit to the Museum: there wasn’t enough interesting or exciting to make it worth the time or the money.

It was clear from talking with the sample that several respondents did not have a clear and true understanding of what the Museum was. Several respondents suggested exhibit ideas for the Museum that were clearly outside the scope of natural history, and definitely beyond the focus of San Diego’s Museum of Natural History.

A few, in fact, referred to it by incorrect names such as the "Natural Museum" and the "San Diego Historical Museum". The lack of understanding of what the Museum is about was connected to the lack of interest and perceived relevance to those respondents who didn’t attend the Museum very often. The question of causality couldn’t be resolved in these interviews, however. Whether lack of understanding led to lack of interest or vice versa remained a "chicken and egg" question.

While few in the sample knew about the Museum’s focus on environmental education, most claimed that they were in favor of it, and thought it was generally important. It seemed, though, that the professed interest in the mission was more "yea-saying" to something we’re all "supposed" to be interested in than it was interest based on real and deep concern for the environment.

While many in the sample had somewhat negative attitudes toward the Museum, a few had positive things to say. Among the aspects of the Museum that drew favorable comments were :

• The new construction
• Quality of the permanent collection
• Fresh new and traveling exhibits
• Outreach efforts

Suggestions made for making the Museum more welcoming and exciting to respondents boiled down to improving the exhibits and programs so that they were more interesting to the respondent, interactive, new and fresh. Many in the sample suggested that the Museum make efforts to "brighten" and enliven the place physically.

Another suggestion offered to help the Museum be more welcoming and inviting was to send out more reminders and information about upcoming exhibits, and to keep the Museum in the news more, like the San Diego Museum of Art.

The San Diego Natural History Museum and Minority Communities
It must be noted at the outset that several of the respondents were somewhat reluctant to generalize about their communities, comprised as they were of many different types of people in different socio-economic and cultural sub-groups. This was particularly true for those speaking as representatives of the Asian-American community, which included Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Koreans, and others whose cultures were very different from each other. Nonetheless, the respondents did make generalizations, and this report will likewise make generalizations in the findings. Please remember when thinking about these findings that they are based on generalizations, and that the reality is much more complex than reported here.

Environmental Education, Relation to Nature
Most of the sample claimed that there were no organizations in their minority communities devoted to environmental education. One African-American mentioned several organizations that might deal with environmental education as one component, and that definitely did outreach to the African-American community, but they were not devoted to environmental education. The organizations mentioned were:

• The Elementary Institute of Science
• National Organization of Chemists and Engineers
• CHUM, from UCSD
• Environmental Health Coalition
• City Schools with high concentration of Hispanic students

Most of the respondents claimed that their minority communities had no special relation to or connection with nature, beyond enjoying the mountains, forests and beaches as much as anyone would. The exception to this was within the Asian-American community. It was noted that the Japanese, and to some extent the Chinese, have a deep cultural interest in nature: in particular, gardens. And, it was pointed out that those from southeast Asia live in nature. And yet, it was claimed that involvement with or concern about nature, even in these cultures, was secondary to other issues.

The theme of having other priorities than the conservation of the environment was one that recurred in conversations with many of the respondents. They noted that while the more affluent members of their minority communities could — and did — care about the environment, the recent immigrants and impoverished minorities had far more pressing personal survival concerns than nature and the environment.

Relevance of the Museum to Minorities
Few suggestions were made for increasing the relevance of the Museum to the least affluent minorities, given their need to focus on survival issues. For other minorities, though, this sample had several ideas for ways to make the Museum relevant and welcoming. They can be summarized as follows:

• Act locally
• Reach out into the community
• Go through the children
• Focus on their cultures
• Be inclusive

Act Local/Reach Out into the Community
"Acting locally" and reaching out into the community were two parts to the same solution offered by respondents. They pointed out that the issues and topics covered by the Museum would be more interesting to the minority communities if they could see how their own neighborhood was affected. One respondent gave as an example a program done in a neighborhood that showed local residents how their local creek connected with other waterways in San Diego, and how the soap suds and trash that they put in their creek impacted their neighborhood and the rest of San Diego.

Several leaders thought that many in their communities didn’t really know what the Museum was all about, what was available there, or why they should care. A couple noted that the name "Natural History Museum" didn’t clearly describe to minorities what they might expect to see and do at the Museum. This was one more reason why being specific and local would heighten interest in the Museum, according to them.

Another reason for outreach into the communities was that few minorities who were less affluent could afford to pay the entrance fees to the Museum, and found parking difficult, and public transportation unreliable. Therefore, they were not likely to come to the Museum, especially given their other priorities. Bringing the Museum to the neighborhoods could interest and excite people, and give them a reason to make the effort, at a later date, to visit the Museum.

Go Through the Children
When the minority leaders suggested that the Museum "go through the children" to reach the minority communities, they were acknowledging a basic fact: parents are often driven to pursue their children’s interests, and want to encourage their educational pursuits in particular. This was true for all the minority communities represented in this study.

Some specific suggestions included organizing programs in the schools for children, that might also involve their parents, and having competitions, where children’s artwork or projects would be on display at the Museum, necessitating a family visit to see the children’s work.

A related idea mentioned was to give free or discounted tickets to children and their families in certain schools as a way to get more families to visit the Museum.

Focus on Their Cultures
Several of the respondents commented that parents would bring their whole family to the Museum if there were exhibits or programs that related to their particular culture. The Asian-American leader in particular noted that the older generation was frustrated that the youngsters were losing their connections to their culture of origin, and were searching for opportunities to reinforce learning and connection.

It’s obvious that people will be more likely to visit the Museum if there are things that interest them specifically. In addition to organizing and promoting programs relevant to particular cultures, minority leaders suggested that programs and exhibits could be made more visually oriented, and promoted in specific and concrete ways. These actions would help those whose ability to read, in any language, was poor, and also give minorities a specific, "local" reason to attend the Museum.

Be Inclusive
Minority leaders in the African-American and Asian-American communities were particularly emphatic that in order for the Museum to be more welcoming to minorities it needed to be more inclusive. They made the point that to the extent San Diego considers minorities, they think only about Hispanics. There was a feeling that all across San Diego (and certainly not just the Natural History Museum), if there was any "multi-cultural" emphasis, it was only really bi-cultural. They noted that San Diego has a long way to go to be truly inclusive and welcoming of all minorities in a multi-cultural society.

Thus, if the Museum really wanted to welcome members of minority groups, there should be signs that they are aware of and concerned for other groups besides Hispanics. Such signs might include staffing, brochures printed in a multitude of languages, audio tours available in several languages, etc.

The subject of Museum signage appearing in both English and Spanish met with mixed reactions among this sample. Hispanic community leaders thought bi-lingual signage at the Museum was great, and would encourage more Hispanics to visit and to feel that the Museum welcomed them. Some other minority leaders claimed they and their communities would have no objection, since they recognized that Hispanics were the largest minority in San Diego, and that we were a border town.

However, a few others claimed they would be somewhat insulted, since it would indicate that, once again, they and their needs were being ignored by a city that only sees one minority at a time. And, one respondent pointed out that while we are a part of a region with Mexico, our location on the Pacific also makes us part of the Pacific Rim, and connected to countries and cultures which speak Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and Chinese. Since San Diego gets a fair number of Japanese tourists, in particular, wouldn’t it make sense for the Museum to provide for them as well as Spanish-speakers?

Bi-National Mission
Almost none of the minority leaders interviewed in this study were aware of the bi-national mission of the Museum. And while no one objected to that focus, there was little excitement about it, except from one of the Hispanic leaders who thought that might be a way to bring the connection to the Museum "home" to some Hispanics.

The majority of the leaders interviewed, though, were positive, but more lukewarm on the subject.

Communicating to Minority Communities
Each minority leader suggested that television and radio be used to communicate news about the Museum to minority communities. Several local newspapers were also mentioned as good vehicles to reach specific minorities. Among them:

• Voice & Viewpoint (African-American)
• Chinese newspapers
• Vietnamese newspapers
• El Sol (Hispanic)

One of the African-American leaders mentioned a local Black web site — virtuallyblack.com — as a resource for community news and information.

Hispanic and African-American leaders were able to reel off a list of several organizations that were important in the communities, and might be able to provide links for the Museum.

In the Hispanic communities they included:

• Chicano Federation
• MAAC Project
• La Raza
• Parent Institute for Quality Education
• American Leadership Foundation
• South Bay Forum
• The South Bay Leadership Symposium
• Centro Cultural
• Latino Student Organizations on college campuses

African-American leaders mentioned other organizations, including a few churches that had influence in the communities.

• Bayview Church
• Cavalry Church
• Division Church of Christ
• Urban League

The Asian-American leaders mentioned Korean churches and Buddhist temples as places where the community gathered, without naming specific ones. The Arab-American leader suggested mosques and churches, again without naming specific institutions. He also pointed out that television and the Union-Tribune were excellent vehicles to reach the Arab-American community.

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