What does Antiracism Mean?

Image source: Millenial Grind

[Please note--this is not an extensive, comprehensive definition--it is my working definition.]

I'm sure you have probably heard the term antiracist recently.  It is a current trend for organizations and businesses to use the term antiracist in their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion documentation and activities.  

But what does the term Antiracist really mean?

Not being racist is NOT antiracism.  In fact, nobody in the americas can escape being racist in some way.  

Being antiracist is actively working toward creating a society that does not view individuals as representations of their entire people.  

Being antiracist is being actively engaged in bringing about this change in your organization. We must root out the idea that certain groups of people are superior, by their nature, and force structural change in our workplaces, organizations and society.

A way of thinking.

Here is what Ibram X. Kendi says about it in his book How to be Antiracist:

"To be antiracist is to think nothing is behaviorally wrong or right -- inferior or superior -- with any of the racial groups. Whenever the antiracist sees individuals behaving positively or negatively, the antiracist sees exactly that: individuals behaving positively or negatively, not representatives of whole races. To be antiracist is to deracialize behavior, to remove the tattooed stereotype from every racialized body. Behavior is something humans do, not races do."  

Acknowledge and understand that we exist in a society that has been shaped by racist ideas, policies, practices, laws and organizations.  Anyone who has been raised in the Americas has been raised in a world that is based on skin color, and revolves around the concept of whiteness.  Whiteness here being, the idea that people from Europe are the most important, most intelligent and highest form of beings on the planet.  Therefore, being as white as possible leads to the aforementioned characteristics and importance.  The farther away one is from whiteness lends itself to negative characteristics being slavish, inhuman and stupid and being less important among many others.  

To acknowledge this, is to become conscious that one must have biases and unconscious beliefs as a result of being raised in the Americas.  This must lead to critical self-reflection. 

Personal reflection

Being aware that one must have racial biases and in effect, be racist to a certain extent, if one were raised in the Americas is the first step to becoming antiracist.  One must critically reflect on one's ideas, behavior, body sensations and relationships with BIPOC if one wants to advance towards antiracism.  Only when someone becomes conscious of their behavior and ways of thinking, can they then work on fixing that behavior and thought.  

Being antiracist also means actively listening to criticism when others call out your racism.  This is such an important aspect of being an antiracist!  

I would say you can't be an antiracist if you don't do this.  

I've had friends call me out and my first bodily feeling was anger, denial and mistrust.  But after backing away for a bit to reflect and really listen to the critical words and ideas about my racist behavior and way of thinking, I was able to hear their message of love to me.  And it really is a message of love if someone feels the need to call you out on something.  If they didn't care about you, then they wouldn't say something.  I've been able to see problem areas related to racism in my life because of my loving friends who have helped me see where and what I need to work upon.

Denial is the friend of racism

Being raised in the racist milieu that are the Americas, it would be irrational to deny having racist ideas in our heads.  This culture is based on a strict set of racial categories with characteristics applied to each category.  This culture is racist in its structures and thought.  

So, like the alcoholic, the first thing we must do is come to terms with the fact that we are all racist to a certain extent and the only antidote to racism is acceptance and then an antiracist stance.  It is a disjunction, you are either a racist or antiracist--there is no in between.  Getting past denial is the first and one of the most important steps to becoming antiracist.  Accept the fact that we don't have control over the systems we were born into, but that we can change these systems for future generations by becoming antiracists.

A way of being

 Being anti-racist requires that the we act when we see policies, behavior or ideas that racialize behavior.  This means that we also analyze the structures that we operate within.  The organizations we work, live and die within have been created in a world that is explicitly racist.  We have come a long way, but it is time to dismantle racism, the policies that uphold racism, the ideas, the actions and the beliefs that are the infrastructure of racism is what we are going for here.  

We can all do our part, whether it is calling out racist behavior in the supermarket, or analyzing deep organizational policy for racialized ideas, concepts, practices and procedures EVERYONE can do something towards making our society an antiracist society instead of a racist society.  

Being antiracist requires us to:

• Accept that we live in a racialized society and have been impacted by this
• Be actively engaged in dismantling this racialized way of thinking
• Be actively self-critical in terms of racist thinking and behavior
• Be dynamic and ever-evolving in our antiracist thinking
• Use what we learn from our antiracism to dismantle other forms of oppression

Recording of Librarians with Spines Author Showcase #2: Grace Yamada interviews kYmberly Keeton.

The recording is now available!  You can now hear Grace Yamada Interview kYmberly Keeton about the Black Covid 19 Project.  

Here is the recording of the Showcase:

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.

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: 

The Cost of Equity Part One...

When 'equity' preconferences, workshops and other trainings are inequitable it defeats the purpose. 

I don't mean to call out LJ specifically--this is just an example of the absurdity of the cost of DEI training.

If your organization can afford to pay for you--then it is no problem.  But what about those who can't afford it?

Ask yourself how does this relate to inclusion and if this is the model libraries want to pursue.

We want affordable, practical, impactful equity training now!

What role does your State Library play in making equity training affordable for libraries in your state?

What role does your state library association play in making equity training available in all areas of your state?

Does your library make equity training available to you as a library worker?

If yes--that is awesome!

If not, what does this mean?

Equity work is library work and it should be made available to all library boards, staff, librarians and communities.

We have much work to do and we can do it together!

✊🏼❤️✊🏼

Librarians With Spines Vol. 2 is the Perfect Holiday Librarian Gift

Hinchas Press

If you have a friend who is a librarian, LIS student or library worker, Librarians with Spines is the perfect gift!


You can get it via Amazon, Latin American Book Source, or Hinchas Press.


Some of the Hinchas Press Lineup:

Thank you for your support!

✊🏼

A Librarians With Spines Chat!

Please join us on Google Hangouts for a discussion between Yago, Autumn, Max and yourselves!

Please follow the URL below on Sunday, Sept. 8th from 6-7 pm PST.

Book Review: An American Genocide: The United States and the California Indian Catastrophe, 1846-1873 (The Lamar Series in Western History)

Buy this book for your Library

An American Genocide: The United States and the California Indian Catastrophe, 1846-1873 (The Lamar Series in Western History)by Benjamin Madley is a book that should be in every library in the US.  This book covers an essential history that has heretofore been neglected save for a few works such as Murder State.

• Series: The Lamar Series in Western History
• Hardcover: 712 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (May 24, 2016)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300181361
• ISBN-13: 978-0300181364
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.8 x 9.2 inches

The book covers the history of the genocide of Indigenous peoples in the state of California from 1846-1873.  During this time, the book traces the beginnings of the genocide from scattered massacres to full scale state and federally sponsored militia and military massacre campaigns.  The sheer brutality and callousness against the indigenous people of California is stunning and hard to read.

CA Indian Population 1845-1880 Genocide in Numbers

This book shows how the pattern of forcing Indians from their home hunting grounds and by the removal of game due to large numbers of immigrants--beginning during the Gold Rush.  The indians then could not feed themselves, so they stole cattle from White ranchers.  The White ranchers would then raise a posse, or a militia force to go "teach the indians a lesson."  The lesson would entail murdering every man, woman and child of the first indigenous village happened upon.  No matter if they were 'guilty' or not.

Vigilantes were supported by the local government and the state. 

 The combination of vigilante massacres with state sponsored militia killing campaigns and the military murder expeditions was lethal and decimated the Californian Indian population.  The Indians had nowhere to hide except high in the mountains, where there was little food.  This forced them to steal from White people, which led to more murder expeditions against them.  It was a cycle that was lethal and effective in 'eradicating' the indigenous people of California.

If you were lucky enough to survive a massacre, you would not have any food, clothing or shelter to help you live.  Many survivors died from exposure or starvation.  As I was reading this, I thought of Ishi--his story is heartbreaking.  You can read about it here: http://history.library.ucsf.edu/ishi.html.

The brutality of the immigrants is mind-boggling. 

The killing was relentless.  The Indians sometimes fought back and killed whites, which raised even more ire and retribution.  The murder unmerciful and was encouraged by California Newspapers.  These papers called for total annihilation of all Californian Indians.  

Slow death at the  reservation.

You may be thinking, "Why didn't the Indians just go to a reservation.  When Indians fled to reservations starved the Indians.  They didn't provide the promised supplies.  Many starved to death. 

This brought about the horrible choice of leaving the reservation and facing:

Enforced slavery.  There were vagrancy laws that stated an Indian had to prove they were not in debt to someone.  This entailed the possession of a certificate that stated they were not in debt.  If the Indian could not prove this, then they were arrested and put up for auction.  They were sold to someone for a period of time, usually years.  During this time they were charged for food and clothes and were never paid enough money to pay off this debt.  Therefore, they could never get their certificate of no debt.  They would be stuck in perpetual slavery.



Or

Being tracked down and murdered by a posse of citizens or a state sponsored militia.  After a theft, they would hunt down and kill any Indian they encountered.  They used this as a chance for "pedagogical violence."  Violence that would teach anyone who heard about it that they should not steal from White people or they would face utter annihilation or slavery.  They often collected scalps and brought them back as souvenirs.  Some local country stores had Indian scalps nailed to their walls well into the 20th century.


The state paid well for militiamen to track down and murder Indians in CA.  They they sought reimbursement from the the federal government.  The federal government paid for the genocide of California Indians and it paid well.  This pay, in itself, was a reason to form a militia and make some money.

State sponsored Genocide in CA.

Sometimes the children and women were kept alive, but sold into the california slave system.  Women were sold into sexual slavery and other forms of bondage.  Children were often sold to estates where they remained the rest of their lives as chattel.



Some Indians turned to gold mining when their territories were impinged upon. Once there was an influx of White immigrants into CA though, there wasn't enough for everyone and the White miners simply murdered the Indian miners and claim jumped their claims.

There is a timeline at the end of the book that tracks the murder of indigenous people in CA according to state historical record that includes body counts.  This is the most well-researched and comprehensive information on this subject to date.

US genocide has yet to be covered in any manner similar to the Holocaust in Europe.  The time is coming though.  The cat is out of the bag.

Other important books on this subject:

Churchill, W., & Mazal Holocaust Collection. (1997). A little matter of genocide: Holocaust and denial in the Americas, 1492 to the present. San Francisco: City Lights Books.

Lindsay, B. C. (2015). Murder state: California's native american genocide 1846-1873. Place of publication not identified: Univ Of Nebraska Press.

Stannard, D. E. (1992). American holocaust: Columbus and the conquest of the New World. New York: Oxford University Press.

Guest Interview for a Multicultural Library Science Class

Yes, that is a Grumpy T-shirt.  

Here is a link to an short interview I did for a multicultural librarian graduate course:



https://goo.gl/r93L4g


These are the questions I covered:


  Questions for 825 Interviews 

 1. Will you please introduce yourself to the class and briefly describe your current library and position as well as the path that led you to librarianship? 

 2. In this course, we are exploring how libraries can best meet “the recreational, cultural, informational, and educational needs of African American, Asian American, Latina/o, Native American, and bi/multiracial children, young adults, and adults.” In what ways does your racial/ethnic identity enable you to meet these needs in your library? 

 3. As a patron in libraries throughout your life, you have probably had both positive and negative experiences related to access and collections. How have these experiences shaped your work as a professional, particularly in regard to serving racially/ethnically diverse? 

 4. What, if any, institutional barriers have you seen in your library with regard to better serving racially/ethnically diverse users? 

 5. EITHER a. If you are a member of one or more of the ethnic caucuses, please speak to how your membership has expanded your ability to better serve users. b. Would you please speak briefly to how your race/ethnicity informs you as a professional, particularly with regard to the social justice aspects of librarianship?

An Introduction to Library Technical Services

An introduction to Library Technical Services slideshow that went with a job interview teaching session I had to give.

It was for a basic introduction to library services class.   The scenario was that we had already covered circulation.

The presentation was very short--like 20 mins.




 Here is a link to the notes for this session:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9_AI2rqzHHAMl9mTTA0M0JUWUdRWTRYaWdIbzBjdw/view?usp=sharing

Information Literacy and Colonialism ILAGO, 2015 Presentation

Here is a link to the presentation with notes:

Cannabis Information Resources for Librarians Conference Session at OLA, 2015

Ola 2015 Presentation from Max Macias

This slideshow and talk was the first part of the first library conference session on cannabis resources for Librarians ever. The second part of the session was a panel. Max Macias: librarian, Jake Boone: dispensary owner and Bethany Sherman: cannabis testing facility owner. This presentation was meant to show general types of cannabis resources available in Oregon and other places. 

This was not a primer on Cannabis. But you can find that here: http://lowriderlibrarian.blogspot.com/2014/07/cannabis-resources-for-librarians.html

  

Link to handouts:  http://tinyurl.com/o62rr2m 

This was not a primer on Cannabis. But you can find that here: 

http://lowriderlibrarian.blogspot.com/2014/07/cannabis-resources-for-librarians.html