Showing posts with label AILA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AILA. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 9, 2021

San Jose ISchool Hispanic/Latinx Free Symposium Panels...

  Hispanic/Latinx Free Symposium

In celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15), the San José State University School of Information held a free symposium to discuss best practices in library services to meet the needs of the Hispanic/Latinx community with greater impact, cultural understanding, and sensitivity.

Entitled “Making Vital Connections: Understanding and Serving the Hispanic/Latinx Community,” this inaugural event featured keynote addresses and panel discussions.

had the honor of sitting on a panel at San Jose Sate University's School Hispanic Heritage Symposium.  

I begin about 47 minutes in.

#Antiracist #libraries #LIS #Education #HispanicHeritage #SJSU

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Innovation is Crucial to Success: Antiracism is Crucial to Innovation

“It is our duty to fight for our freedom.

It is our duty to win.

We must love each other and support each other.

We have nothing to lose but our chains.”

Assata Shakur

American Hero and Revolutionary

Keyboard, Post it and Pen


Innovation is so much more than technology!  True innovation will only come when we break the incestuous cycle of white supremacist knowledge production.  We need new voices and those voices are standing right here.  Real innovation will come when people who created Hip-Hop, Jazz, Rock and Roll--when the people who created flavor in American cuisine and who pretty much generate American culture throughout the continent are involved in information production and knowledge creation.  Indigenous, Black, Brown, and other people of color will create a groundswell like never before once they are allowed to fully function within the academy.  We will change education's structures, its techniques, its goals, its meaning.  We are the harbingers of change and we are here now.  

Stale, moldy bread
Education is Stale

Education is stale, the ideas are backward and the time for change is now.  New blood, new ideas and finally--some progress in society--not just progress in making tools.  Western people are the best tool makers, but have little to no idea about how to live with one another and how to create good human relations--which lead to real security.  Not the false security that guns everywhere provide, but the real security of knowing that your neighbor’s fate and experience directly relate to your own. 

BIPOC Hands Raised


The truth is that Education needs us!  We bring flavor, new insights, conceptual relationships that white people don’t even know exist--we bring progress.  The academy needs to aggressively recruit people who have backgrounds from ‘marginalized’ communities and then allow these scholars to create radical change within our academic institutions.  This change is not something we are asking for--this change is something we bring and are announcing.  The backlash is on and we stand ready and strong--stronger than we have ever been.  We are at war--it is a cultural war.  We are bound to win, we must win--”we have a duty to win.”  


Ideas to speed up change:


  • Create an action research center at your school that focuses on anti-oppression integration in education.  


  • Block hire a BIPOC cohort into your school or organization.  


  • Create support systems for BIPOC and other oppressed groups.


  • Create support systems for antiracist activators and activists at your school--protect them and promote them!


  • Create an EDI/Antiracist Handbook for your department--you have the expertise.  Research, learn, share and promote antiracist and anti oppression curriculum, pedagogies and systems.


  • Use antiracism as a model for building other anti-oppression tactics for the liberation of all oppressed groups.


  • Create and sustain affinity spaces for oppressed groups at your organization.


  • Create partnerships with schools and other vocational training organizations to form a pipeline of BIPOC employment recruits.


  • Empower BIPOC leaders to lead.


Handshake


Until we have a system that has been created with BIPOC and other oppressed groups involved, we will never have equity, inclusion, diversity nor anti-oppression as part of our organizations.  We need NEW systems that have been co-created by BIPOC and that are inclusive and are not oppressive.  What are you doing today to create this needed change? This will necessitate the destruction of old structures.  There are many racists who are deeply invested in these shitstems--they must be defeated and these racist structures destroyed.  We will replace them with inclusive systems and structures that will create real progress for society.  

Thursday, April 29, 2021

When white Librarians Reject BIPOC Librarian Input: Library Community Feedback Wanted: ALA Code of Ethics, 9th Principle (for revision)

The ALA recently solicited comments on a revision to the ALA Code of Ethics's 9th principle.

 I added some comments to this document.

The comments were full of vile racist comments and they rejected my input.

This kind of treatment happens to BIPOC all the time when asked to participate in library work in general.  

The white gatekeepers make sure we can't create change.


Here is another example of how my suggestions were rejected.
Here I added, "anti-oppression actions..." 


If the ALA really wants input from BIPOC librarians--they should be much more respectful and not allow racist trolling on their documents.



Monday, April 26, 2021

I Was Awarded the OLA EDI Anti-Racism Recognition Award for 2021


[Email from the Oregon Library Association Awards Chair.  Big congratulations and shout out to Marci Ramiro-Jenkins!]

 Hello Oregon Library Community!

As chair of the Oregon Library Association's Awards Committee, I am delighted to widely announce the recipients of the following awardswhich were announced at the OLA Conference on Friday, April 23. 

Presidents’ Award (conferred by President Kate Lasky and Past-President Elaine Hirsch): Marci Ramiro-Jenkins
  

Oregon Library Employee of the year: Lauren Calbreath


Oregon Library Supporter of the year: Barbara Wright


EDI Achievement Award (Inaugural award!): Max Macias

Oregon Librarian of the year: Librarians and Staff of the State Library of Oregon



Children Services Division's Evelyn Sibley Lampman Award: Tehlor Kay Mejia


Public Library Division's Pearl Award: Lanel Jackson

Congratulations on this well deserved recognition!



OLA Awards Committee:

Elsa Loftis, Portland State University, Chair

Leah Griffith, Newberg Public Library, Retired, Past-Chair 

Esther Moberg, Seaside Public Library

Sonja Somerville, Salem Public Library

Karen Muller, Hillsboro Public Library

Susan Stone, Portland Public Schools

Emily O’Neal, Deschutes Public Library


You can watch the EDI Antiracism recognition award (It starts there) or the entire awards here:

Friday, February 12, 2021

Oregon Library Association's Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Antiracism Toolkit is Now Available

OLA EDI and Antiracism Toolkit Cover


 [Please share widely!]


Hi Everyone, 

I hope you and yours are safe and healthy.

It is with great excitement and honor that the Oregon Library Association's Committee on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Antiracism present the OLA EDI Antiracism Toolkit!


A paper copy of this toolkit will be distributed to every library in Oregon.  They will also receive a digital copy to print and share with staff. 

We tried to make this toolkit as practical as possible! 

A  antiracism readiness checklist survey is part of the toolkit.  We are asking library staff  in Oregon to fill out the survey/checklist so that we may get some informaiton on Oregon libraries (see pre-conference information below).  We are asking that the survey be filled out by Friday, March 19, 11:59pm to give us time to prep for our pre-conference session on 4/8/2021.

I am proud to be part of this team!

Oregon Library Association Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Antiracism Committee:

Marci Jenkins/Alma Plasencia --Co-chairs

Kristen Curé

Martìn Blasco

Emily Ford

Max Macias

Melissa Anderson

Scott Rick

(Other authors of content listed in the toolkit)

Please note that there is also a recording of a training that we did for the Oregon Library Association's PLD.  The training was geared toward library directors.  It stressed how libraries could use the toolkit.  Many of the authors of the toolkit shared why they wrote what they wrote, how it relates to antiracism, how libraries can incorporate the toolkit into their organizations and anything else they had to say to library directors in Oregon.  

We hope this toolkit not only benefits libraries move toward antiracism in Oregon, but also throughout the country.   It is practical, useful and can be used as a model for expanding antiracism into other organizations and structures.  

The OLA EDI and Antiracism Committee will also be conducting a free Oregon Library Association pre-conference session in April.  Register here.

Thursday, April 8 | 1:00- 4:30 pm 
EDI Anti-Racism Toolkit; what we have done, where we are now and where we are going?
The EDI Antiracism Committee will present the OLA EDI Antiracism Toolkit metrics . This interactive data presentation will display the areas where Oregon libraries are thriving and the areas where we need help moving forward when it comes to EDI and Antiracism work. We will examine together the concerns, red flags, and talk about future initiatives concerning this theme. We will discuss awareness and engagement with the existing OLA EDI Antiracism work and library employees’ advocacy.
We are presenting as a committee, there are 8 librarian in our group. Marci Ramiro-Jenkins, Librarian/ EDI Antiracism Special Committee Chair McMinnville Public Library. 


Respectfully, 

Max Macias on behalf of the Oregon Library Association's Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Antiracism Committee

Monday, January 11, 2021

Whiteness in US Libraries/Library Schools Abides...

We can do so much better than this!

What are you going to do about the dominance of whiteness in libraries?

I mean right now--there is no time to waste--what will you do? 







 

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

San Jose State School of Information Diversity Series: Moving Beyond Diversity to Anti-Oppression

 I was honored to be be selected to speak at San Jose State's Information School last month.

San Jo is my hometown and it was super cool to be able to speak at SJSU!

I hope you enjoy this.


Comments encouraged!

Special thanks to Dr. Michele Villagran and San Jose State!


Thursday, November 12, 2020

Racial Equity in Data Integration

Scientists, Mathematicians, Computer types and other data driven colleagues, please join us for a special antiracist session about how we can center racial equity throughout data integration in our work at PCC. 




Our guest speaker is Angela Bluhm! Event Date and Time: November 10th, 2020: 1pm PST Session description: Since 2019, AISP (Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy) at the University of Pennsylvania has led a diverse workgroup of civic data stakeholders to co-create strategies and identify best practices to center racial equity in data integration efforts. Angela Bluhm is an Analyst for the Educator Advancement Council in the Oregon Department of Education. Angela worked with the AISP while serving as Research, Data, and Communications Coordinator for the Oregon Longitudinal Data Collaborative in the Chief Education Office and later in the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC). Angela will discuss the work of the AISP, the Toolkit for Centering Racial Equity Throughout Data Integration, and ongoing work with Data and Equity. 


Recording link: https://lnkd.in/gQ9YPUm



Wednesday, November 4, 2020

Antiracist Library or Racist Library--There is no Middle Ground


Antiracist libraries acknowledge the fallacy of being neutral in the face of racism.  Libraries are racist or antiracist.  Just like individuals—libraries cannot just say they are ‘not racist.’  Being an antiracist library means that they are actively working to dismantle racism and white supremacy in their libraries and communities.  Being antiracist also means they are working to dismantle the oppression of marginalized people.



Allowing bigots to perpetuate fear in the community is antithetical to the antiracist library.  The antiracist library is an enemy to bigotry.  The antiracist library is constantly reflecting on ‘neutral’ stances when it comes to ALL library policies.  Collection development, meeting room policies, website design, user satisfaction analysis, usage metrics and all other library policies need to be antiracist, or they are racist.  There is no in between.

So, when the library community says, “Libraries are for all!”  We are really saying that they are also open for racists and other bigots.  Bigots are NOT welcome in the antiracist library—ever.  


Allowing racists, homophobes, and other bigots to meet at the library, or to even distribute ‘information’ by leaving material in the library creates a hostile environment for patrons and workers.  




Antiracist libraries say, “Racists and other bigots are not welcome.”  This makes clear that the library is not neutral—it is antiracist and it reinforces that the library sides with library workers and patrons who are marginalized by racism and other forms of bigotry.  


Library patrons and worker rights to safety and not having to be terrorized by bigots are more important than the claims that hate speech and intimidation are forms of free speech.  Antiracist libraries recognize this and are clear about it with their communities.  


Library Patrons
Patrons

Libraries must decide if they are racist or antiracist.  This disjunction is one of the most important questions of our time and impact ALL areas of the library world.  If a library chooses to be antiracist, then it must live up to this ideal make it known that the library is the enemy of bigotry.  It is your choice to make.  Please choose wisely my Oregon library friends.  



Joint Council of Librarians of Color
Joint Council of Librarians of Color




Saturday, October 10, 2020

Reading Group Resistance Showcase

[Please share widely!] 

Please join us for another outstanding Librarians with Spines author showcase! This time we are doing something completely different! Librarians with spines editors, Max Macias and Yago Cura, along with designer extraordinaire Autumn Anglin will be interviewed by the Auraria Technical Services Division reading group! 

 The reading group has been reading Librarians with Spines Vol. 1 and will be sure to have some great questions for Autumn, Max and Yago. 

 The event takes place on Thursday, October 29th 2020 at 12pm PST. 
 Potential topics covered: Book publishing Editing Writing LIS And more 

Audience: LIS students Library workers Librarians BIPOC LIS students/Librarians/library workers/information professionals People interested in publishing Information professionals in general Others

Thursday, July 2, 2020

Librarians with Spines Author Showcase 2: Grace Yamada Interviews kYmberly Keeton

Come hear and interact with two Librarians with Spines: Grace Yamada Interviews kYmberly Keeton about the Black Covid 19 Project, about Hip-Hop and Information Science (kYmberly's chapter was on this).  The conversation will be sure to include aspects of digital citizenship (Grace's chapter was on this topic), books, libraries and more.

Kymberly and Grace from Librarians with Spines


More about the Black Covid-19 Project: 
Keeton--Austin History Center's African American Community Archivist and Librarian was instrumental in organizing and launching Growing Your Roots, the four-day statewide African American genealogy conference earlier this year. But in this case, Keeton is all about the present – specifically about African Americans living through this same pandemic that's sending the AAABF to Zoom this year. She believes their stories matter, and she's collecting them for the Black COVID-19 Index, an independent project she initiated to gather stories, images, audio, and video created by African Americans in response to the coronavirus and these times.  Source: Austin Chronicle
Please sign up for this free event below and we will send you event information: