Please Read the Statement Against White Appropriation of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color’s Labor by WOC+LIB

 

Source: https://www.wocandlib.org/features/2021/9/3/statement-against-white-appropriation-of-black-indigenous-and-people-of-colors-labor

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

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.  

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. 

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.

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.  

Librarians with Spines Author Showcase #3

 

Information and registration is here:

https://www.librarianswithspines.com/blog

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!

✊🏼

It is All Pretty Words and Shell Games

For DEI: Nobody!

Holding Cultural Petting Zoos is Easier than Creating Equitable Institutional Structures.  Many institutions are stuck in a loop of cultural events that consist of food tasting and traditional dress modeling, etc...As if the mere exposure to such multicultural aspects would cure racism overnight.  Of course, these events do have a place, but they can't be relied upon to create progress in a historically white institution.

I've been thinking about this for a long time and it really comes down to accountability and value.

Claiming Equity, Diversity and Inclusion as a part of a traditionally white educational institution or organization is a benefit most schools have taken.  Schools have the benefits of doing something without actually having to make any real changes as there is literally no accountability, nor credibility.

The above claim is damaging to people of color  and other oppressed groups because it puts out the issue, but doesn't really seek a solution.  In the end--all sides are frustrated and race and other oppressive relations and structures remain the intact.

And the worst part of this is that it is all built on the backs of POC and other marginalized people.

We are meant to represent ALL people of color and when and if we screw up we are so severely punished that it sets a psychological example for others on all sides.  In the end--POC and other oppressed groups--raise their hopes, but are constantly let down--because there is no real accountability for DEI to the admin, faculty, staff, nor the organization.

Here is a sarcastic take on DEI in educational institutions and organizations:

Benefits of DEI inclusion on organization mission statements.

• Increased reputation
• Increased student enrollment
• Increased administrative pay

• No accountability
• No real changes required 
• Huge ROI with little to no effort
• White people feel great

• All of this built on the pain and suffering of POC at your institution
• Implement now for highest returns
• Organizations don't have to value DEI work by staff members

The above bullets are satirical, but they are based on my experience working in large educational institutions and national professional groups.   

Accountability and transparency are vital.

We must have accountability for DEI progress, or lack thereof within organizations and institutions.

We must have real change in faculty, administration and staff representation.  

We must demand that resources are spent on DEI if they are part of a mission statement.

We must demand that POC are not the only ones expected to have a stake in this work.

We must demand that DEI work is valued and counts toward tenure and other professional advancement opportunities.

We must require our organizations and institutions to live up to their mission statements when it comes to DEI.  

Callout a lack of DEI progress.

We must hold our leaders accountable for progress or lack thereof when DEI is part of a mission statement.

DEI should be part of performance assessments, budgets, organizational goals and other concrete planning for any educational institution or organization.