We have been called in. We need to do better. The Unpacking Discussion Group organizers (Brittany, Caitlin, and Taylor) are still learning our role in the Oregon library world. Being a newly formed group and not exactly formally organized, we admittedly had not considered the impact our silence or absence would have. We do now. This is a reminder that silence is complicity. How the OLA EDIA Meaningful Support for BIPOC Library Workers is directly related to the Unpacking Discussion Group:
We repeat, our voices joining and uplifting the EDIA Committee, BIPOC library workers and patrons are not okay. The full statement is below and can be read here. Share it. Do better. OLA Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Antiracism Committee Statement Calling for Meaningful Support for BIPOC Library WorkersIn response to ongoing violence against Black people in the United States, we, the OLA Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Antiracism Committee, reaffirm Black Lives Matter, and that Black people and African Americans, including library patrons and workers, are living under the weight of constant violence and other forms of discrimination and oppression. BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) library workers regularly experience racism in the workplace from patrons, colleagues, and/or managers. The movement to ban books that discuss race or racism, and erase the reality of the BIPOC experience further stresses and demoralizes library workers. This trauma can be mitigated through impactful racial equity and antiracism efforts. Kaetrena Davis Kendrick and Ione Damasco's (2019) groundbreaking research on the low morale experience of BIPOC librarians found that BIPOC “who experience low morale cited inconsistent or superficial support or implementation of EDI programs as a factor that increased their low morale; and the most used phrase within their discussions of the diversity rhetoric enabling system was 'lip service.'" BIPOC library workers and patrons are not okay. They need your support, and they need it now. This commitee and allies will not sit by and passively observe our patrons, neighbors, and families being terrorized, murdered and otherwise abused. We invite Oregon libraries to join us in making it explicitly clear how and why Black Lives Matter. BIPOC and other individuals from marginalized groups are the key to re-invigorating libraries and our communities. We need their ideas, their spirit, their energy and love. Diverse workplaces are more creative, innovative, and productive. Yet BIPOC often experience trauma in majority White spaces, mental and physical health disparities, disparities in access to quality care, and pressure to prioritize excellence at work over their well-being. The Urban Library Trauma Study's research found that "a significant number of participants of color reported receiving racist abuse... Participants who had experienced racial abuse also reported not feeling supported by their colleagues or administration." A sense of inclusion and belonging is often missing from library work environments for those who are marginalized. What are you doing to create a work environment where workers from marginalized groups feel physically and psychologically safe, included, and valued? We ask that you look at the systems you have in place for supporting the well-being of your library staff and fostering inclusion and belonging and question how well these systems reflect a commitment to antiracist practice. Whose comfort and whose well-being are you prioritizing? Reflect on the following questions and use them to craft policy and practice:
If you’re interested in learning more about antiracist work, please visit these two projects of the OLA EDIA Committee:
Questions or comments can be directed to the OLA EDIA Committee co-Chairs, Ericka Brunson-Rochette and Meredith Farkas at [email protected] Mission Statement: We recognize libraries serve a vast range of individuals with unique experiences and characteristics. We encourage an inclusive environment that promotes freedom of speech in conjunction with strong policies that protect patrons and library staff of all gender, national origin, ethnicity, religion, race, sexual orientation, disability, income level, age and all other personal, social, cultural and economic perspectives. Kendrick, Kaetrena Davis, and Ione T. Damasco. "Low morale in ethnic and racial minority academic librarians: An experiential study." Library Trends 68.2 (2019): 174-212. core.ac.uk/download/pdf/489844612.pdf
Urban Librarians Unite. Urban Library Trauma Study. 2022, urbanlibrariansunite.org/ults/.
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