LibGuides: Chapter Topics ~ Spring 2020: Social Justice Statements

Social Justice Statements

Delaware Valley Chapter

The Board Leadership of ACRL DVC upholds that Black Lives Matter.

We condemn police brutality, violence, and the legacy of enslavement that overtly and covertly perpetuates systemic racism, racial injustice, and human rights violations against black people everywhere.

We hold in our hearts the lives, families, and communities of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, while also remembering the millions of black lives murdered by white supremacist individuals, institutions, and the ideologies on which this country was founded and built.

As librarians, we recognize that saying that we believe in access and equity is not enough, but know that the power of those words lies in committing to doing the work of reflection and correction, acknowledging the ways in which our libraries and institutions perpetuate systemic racism and dismantling those systems such that equity is embodied in all aspects of our work.

We believe that social justice necessitates action. We will not put the burden of this work on our Black and non-Black colleagues of color. And so we ask that you all as members of the ACRL DVC community stand with us in holding our respective workplaces, unions, and communities accountable in striving toward antiracist policies, practices, and procedures.

We will create programming addressing antiracism in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, please consult these resources developed by our professional community.

New England Chapter

We, the Board of Directors of the Association of College and Research Libraries’ New England Chapter (ACRL/NEC), unequivocally affirm that Black Lives Matter. We stand with the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA), the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA), the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL), and other groups in condemning racism, hate crimes, and police brutality. The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and Ahmaud Arbery, compounded by the tragic loss of countless other Black lives, are the culmination of centuries of oppression and violence directed against Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). We further denounce the brutal and unwarranted violence directed against protestors by militarized police forces.

As library workers, we stand for racial equity and social justice. We commit to speaking up when we witness injustice, listening to and amplifying the voices of Black people and People of Color, and educating ourselves. We commit to combating systemic racism in our teaching, cataloging, hiring, collection development, and other practices. Libraries are not neutral. We acknowledge the role of libraries in perpetuating inequality. We will reflect and do better in fostering equity, diversity, inclusion, and antiracism in ACRL/NEC and the New England library community.

In particular, we urge our White colleagues to educate themselves and take action.

Check in on and support your colleagues, students, and neighbors who are BIPOC. Do respect their emotional space and do not center your own feelings.
Reflect on your own privilege, check your biases, and consciously act to counter them.
Listen compassionately to those around you and lift up the voices of BIPOC.
Consider what you yourself can do in your work and personal life to combat oppression.
Examine your institutions’ policies and practices and fix them if they reinforce inequities.
Seek greater understanding through readings and dialogue. Follow #BlackInTheIvory on Twitter, where Black academics are sharing experiences of racism in higher education.
Learn from books recommended by the New York Public Libraryand Ibram X. Kendi.
- Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- How To Be An Antiracist Ibram X. Kendi
- The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
- White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism by Robin DiAngelo
- I'm Still here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown
- How to Be Less Stupid about Race: On Racism, White Supremacy, and the Racial Divide by Chrystal M. Fleming
- The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education
- Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Curate resource lists for your communities. (Need an example? Check out the Anti-Oppression guide from Simmons University.)

New Jersey Chapter

ACRL-NJ/NJLA CUS opposes racism in all its manifestations. We share the sorrow and the rage of our community against a history of police brutality experienced by Black people and communities of color in this country. We stand in support and solidarity with those seeking social and racial justice. This statement affirms our commitment to anti-racist practices, and pledges to use our resources to promote social justice.