Lowrider Librarian

My heroes call out to me from across time Some call out from hundreds of years ago I can hear some from just yesterday My heroes call out to me and make my heart strong They are our alternative narrative Calling out our history Calling out our enemies Calling out our allies Calling out our resistance My heroes call out to me and I listen They are part of what makes our culture great They are the true Americans Calling out hatred makes us stronger My heroes call out that shit What if Huey P. Newton hadn't called out? What if Rosa Parks hadn't called out? What if John Trudell hadn't not called out? What if Malcolm X hadn't called out? What if Audre Lorde hadn't called out? What if Larry Itliong hadn't called out? What if we don't call out? My heroes call out to me  

There is currently a discussion on the librarian Facebook group ALATT concerning cultural appropriation. You should hear some of the rationalizations! Everything from the insulting: "Let me tell you a secret: All Culture is appropriated!" Then people go on to say, "Yes--like agriculture, rock n roll..." and other absurd comparisons. This seemingly funny statement, is passive aggressive to the extreme. These statements belittle people's feelings about their heritage and culture.  This is especially true then aspects of their culture are used in inappropriate manners such as when White people run 'Native American' sweat lodges that allow anyone who pays to come sweat and pray--that is fucking absurd and spits in the face of indigenous tradition! You may be asking yourself, "Why is Max getting all bent out of shape about this?" Please watch this video for a better understanding: I hope more librarians become more empathetic and...

There is a split in libraries.  The split is on the question if Nazis and other racists  can use their rights to terrorize their fellow citizens and still be welcome in our libraries. Racist 'free speech' is a tradition that has been used to create an atmosphere of hate a violence against POC in the US. Of course this is not how this discussion is framed, nor how it is approached in the library community--which is immersed in a culture of Whiteness. It is described as a matter of "Free Speech."  I would agree, but I would clarify this by stating it is a matter of White people's right to terrorize their fellow citizens by using speech which creates an environment of terror for POC in the US. "Jews will NOT replace us!"  is terrifying enough for me to hear, but then I think of the utter terror and alarm it must be raising in my Jewish friends--I share their terror. "All lives matter!" Yelled at my Black friends who are holding a sign...

This is in response to David Lee King's blog post on: http://www.davidleeking.com/ugly-beliefs-free-speech-and-libraries/   What kind of drivel is this? And look at the photo--a photo of a white dude with duct tape on his mouth!!!! Poor White Dude who can't spout his hate! Fuck David Lee King! " We stand for the principle that government and public information shouldn’t depend on the whims of the moment.” Quote from Joseph Jane's article that D quoted. It isn't a fucking 'whim' you asshole--maybe to SOME White people Genocide is a whim, the desire for genocide is a whim, or maybe it is that the potential victims are stating a whim that they don't like to be threatened. It isn't neutral if you are backing the ONE side--the white side. Fuck your founding fathers and their rapist bullshit. Fuck Nazi 'free speech.' It sure would be nice if people like mr. King would fight for POC's rights just as much as he is fighting fo...

We need critical information studies now! EthnicStudies Readings + LIS education = some good shit.   Are there any Ethnic-studies based LIS classes in the US?   I draw much of my inspiration and my thinking is different than most of my colleagues because of my exposure to writers like   # Acuña   # Fanon # Newton   # Baldwin   # Peltier   # Churchill   # RobertFWilliams   # MalcolmX # SubcomandanteMarcos   # bellhooks   and others... We need something like this to help create change in LIS.

Someone on a list I'm on recently posted that they were hesitant to renew their ALA membership because of the recent ALA press release scandal.  You can read about it on Librarian in Black here:  http://librarianinblack.net/librarianinblack/alastatements/ . The person who posted asked the group what they thought about renewing their memberships.  Below is my response. I'm not a member of the ALA, but I work with them on issues concerning Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.  I'm on the ALA EDI implementation Work Group and I try to represent marginalized people who can't afford membership or conference participation (among other things).   I would say that ALA has been made progress due in large part to work by people like Melissa Cardenas-Dow, Trevor Dawes, Martin Garner and many others who are strongly committed to EDI in ALA and in libraries in general.  I would also say that the constituency should scrutinize candidate's actual wor...

Whiteness in US Libraries [Note--this is a blog post.  These ideas can and will be further developed.  These ideas are sketches of what I am thinking at the moment.  Feedback is encouraged and welcome.] US schools and libraries serve as points of diffusion for Whiteness.   Whiteness, as used in this post is defined as the concept that European people and European culture are more important than other people and other cultures.   Whiteness is purveyed uncritically in libraries.  This shucking of Whiteness is done under the guise of objectivity, of adhering the the 'marketplace' of ideas.  But this so-called neutrality is really an adherence and capitulation to the Whiteness paradigm.   Children of color hear the message of Whiteness--"European people and European culture are more important than other people and other cultures.   Children of color live in a world of discrimination and bias in US schools.   Some t...

This talk was given on 4/20/2016 at PCC for Whiteness History Month at PCC. It is based on my trilogy of blog posts on the history of Whiteness in the US. Here are links to the posts: Colonialism and Whiteness: A Legacy of Brutality http://lowriderlibrarian.blogspot.com/2016/02/colonialism-and-whiteness-legacy-of.html Slavery (a Tool of Colonialism) and Whiteness: a Legacy of Brutality   http://lowriderlibrarian.blogspot.com/2016/03/slavery-tool-of-colonialism-and.html    Embedded #Whiteness: A Legacy of Brutality  http://lowriderlibrarian.blogspot.com/2016/04/embedded-whiteness-legacy-of-brutality.html    Here is the talk: I would love to know what you think about the talk, the concepts and the imagery. Please comment. Thank you,  Max 

Whiteness tells us our story through the lens of our oppressor? What does this do to truth, validity, information and the construction of knowledge?

[This is the last installment of a three part series on Whiteness.]   Whiteness is a concept that describes the cultural, lingual, institutional beliefs, practices and behavior that maintains access to power and reinforces power for White people and people of lighter skin tones.   This colonial system was created for and by Europeans for the benefit of Europeans. Everything was in relation to the European--this is a hallmark of the concept of Whiteness--that everything is judged in relation to Whiteness and not something else.   Whiteness is embedded in the fabric of everyday life in the US The use of patrols to capture runaway slaves was one of the precursors of formal police forces, especially in the South. Slave patrols were organized groups of three to six white men who enforced discipline upon black slaves during the antebellum U.S. southern states. http://plsonline.eku.edu/insidelook/brief-history-slavery-and-origins-american-poli...