New Article on Microagressions in Academic LIS

Racial Microaggressions in Academic Libraries: Results of a Survey of Minority and Non-minority Librarians

The Journal of Academic Librarianship

Volume 41, Issue 1, January 2015, Pages 47–53

• Jaena Alabi^,

doi:10.1016/j.acalib.2014.10.008

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Abstract

There is relatively little literature on racism within the profession of academic librarianship. To investigate academic librarians' experiences of racism, this research project uses the framework of racial microaggressions, which are subtle, denigrating messages directed toward people of color. According to the results of an online survey, some librarians of color have had racial microaggressions directed at them by their colleagues. Non-minority librarians, however, are unlikely to recognize these disparaging exchanges.

Keywords

• Academic libraries;
• Racism;
• Diversity;
• Racial microaggressions

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Read it here:  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S009913331400192X  

Memories From a 10 Year Old

The glass comes between our love.

My hand reaches for the father that is gone.

"No touching allowed!" 

Orange jumpsuits?--they have been putting us in those things long before Guantanamo.

A long row of desperate communication to my left and to my right.

I pick up the industrial black transceiver so we can talk.



‪#‎Jail‬ ‪#‎NewJimCrow‬

#DiversitiesAndRepresentation

[We welcome this week's guest post from Da` Lyberri-Ann]

By: Da’ Lyberri-ann

So another Midwinter has passed and like red carpet season, our new literary award winners have been announced with great fanfare. Facebook was filled with selfies and group pictures of committee members proud of a year’s hard work and accomplishments. As a librarian I should feel giddy and excited. New books are winning awards for outstanding literature in many different categories. As a children’s librarian I should be pulling out rolls of golden stickers to note these books of honor and proudly promoting them to my community. But I am not excited or proud. I’m upset. Disappointed. Dare I say “pissed off?”. Why? it is because again I see that although #blacklivesmatter for sound bites in the news, it doesn’t result in actual change.  

At the risk of pointing out the pink elephant in the room I’ll tell you why: The Caldecott committee didn’t have any people of disadvantaged minority status. Or to be blunt: No Blacks, No Hispanics, No Native Americans served on the Caldecott this year. Again.

[There were two people of color on this year's Caldecott Committee: The chair, Junko Yakota and Lucia Acosta]. 

And to be honest I am sick of it! 20 people on the committee: 16 women, 4 men, one of Asian ancestry, and .. thats it. 19 white folks and one token Asian! WTF!!!! A committee that is supposed to find the best picture books in the nation didn’t have a single Hispanic! For crying out F****in’ loud, how hard is it to find a Hispanic children’s librarian in a country with over 30% of its population Hispanic?

Honestly how hard is it to find a Black children’s librarian to serve on  this committee? Now I know the excuses and they are bulls****. Minority ALA members pay dues, they are  active in the organization but are repeatedly blackballed, and denied access to the very committees that will result in a change in ALA structure.  When was the last time a book about a Black or Hispanic child won the Caldecott? ….. I’ll wait. ( you had to google it, admit it) And that proves my point.

It is not enough that the CSK (Coretta Scot King) award exists. If #blacklivesreallymatter and #brownlivesmatter we need to acknowledge in mainstream awards that the stories of their lives are significant. It’s like a Black musician being happy their album won the BET awards. It’s all well and good be acknowledged by your own, but true change happens when your music crosses into the mainstream and wins a Grammy.  I know what some of you are thinking: Viva Frida was honored! And a that book about the slave poet in 2011… it was honored too. It is significant that the books are acknowledged right?

2009 Newberry Honor Book

Not anymore.  I am sick of books about minorities earning second place. I am sick of the message that they are good enough for CSK but not for Caldecott. I am sick of the message that the stories are not worthy of a mainstream audience.  And until I see consistent Black and Brown faces on the committees I will not see this change. So I won’t be  supporting this racist situation by marketing the Caldecott winners to my Black and Brown library users. #Blackbooksmatter.

 

Pura Belpré

2015 Author Award Winner

I Lived on Butterfly Hill, written by Marjorie Agosín, illustrated by Lee White and published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division

Pura Belpré

2015 Illustrator Award Winner

Viva Frida, illustrated and written by Yuyi Morales and published by Roaring Brook Press, a Neal Porter Book

The Coretta Scott King Book Awards

2015 Author Award Winner

“brown girl dreaming” published by Nancy Paulson Books, published by the Penguin Group, Penguin Group (USA) LLC

The Coretta Scott King Book Awards

2015 Illustrator Award Winner

“Firebird” written by Copeland and published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons, published by the Penguin Group, Penguin Group USA

Lowriders In Space (Book Review)

How do we get kids to read--especially those that appear to not be interested in reading? 

Reading!

 The answer is:  find relevant material that the reader can empathize with and that the reader can understand.  

Back cover of book

An adventure making something out of the best of what you have is something ANY kid can empathize with, but the subject matter is most definitely something young Chicanos can relate to and understand.  Cars, space, excitement and fun make this dynamic story a great read young readers.  

This is not to stereotype young Chicanos, we are far more diverse than lowriders, but many of us grew up in Lowrider Culture and love and understand this culture.  

The language and characters are fantastic, but rooted in Chicanismo.  

Cathy Camper and Raul The Third have developed friendly, characters who speak much of the vernacular I grew up with as a 3rd generation Chicano in CA.  

The artwork is done in a beautiful blue, red and black ink that is reminiscent of ballpoint drawings.  

Panel from book

2nd and 3rd generation Chicanos (Mexican-Americans) sometimes have a hard time finding reading material that meets the above criteria.   

We can readily find books addressing immigration on one hand, and on the other books on gangs.  

Chicanos are far more diverse than these categories and I love that Cathy Camper and Raul The Third have picked up on this and given us: Lowriders in Space!

Panel from book

Lowriders in Space is fantasy, but it is also culturally relevant and fun for young readers.  

I would recommend it for 4th grade and up.  

One of the interesting things about this book is that it has a glossary that breaks down chicano Spanish.  This is not only handy, but is also fun.

Panel from book

For an adventure that both boys and girls can relate to and enjoy check out Lowriders in Space.  

This book would make a great addition to a personal, an elementary, middle school, high school, and college libraries as well as any good public library.  

Book Cover

Hurry and read this volume--another is on the way.

Age Range: 8 - 12 years

Grade Level: 3 - 7

Series: Lowriders

Paperback: 112 pages

Publisher: Chronicle Books (November 4, 2014)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1452128693

ISBN-13: 978-1452128696


Price:  $9.99

Lowrider Literacies and Fluencies* 10 Point Program 2015

Lowrider Literacies and Fluencies* 10 Point Program 2015

1. Technology: We demand free access to technology and technology instruction, training and applications that meets our community needs.


2. Mechanics: We demand free access to mechanical technology and instruction. By this we mean we want motor vehicle, heavy equipment and other mechanical training and access that meet our community needs.


3. Reading: We demand free access to books that meet our needs. By needs, we mean: Cultural, Political, HIstorical, Language, Social, Psychological, and Health needs. We also demand books in a variety of formats.


4. Writing: We demand free access to writing and publishing technologies as well as the instruction to become fluent with them, and the ability to apply them to our needs.

5. Critical Political Analysis: We demand free access to critical political science analysis instruction, training and applications of this critical thinking to our needs.


6. Social Community Literacy: We demand free access to instruction, training and the application of social and community service and self-development based on our needs.


7. Human Development Health: We demand free access to instruction, training and the application of sound human development principled based on our needs and applied to our communities. 

8. Logic: We demand free access to instruction, training and the application of logical analysis and fluency for community members in both informal and formal logic.


9. Self-Defense: We demand free access to instruction, training and the application of self-defense principles, techniques, weapon training, tactical training and the history of self-defense based on our needs.

10. Ends: Educational sell-determination that leads to political self-determination is the goal of all the preceding literacy points.




*Any marginalized individual or group that seeks to mitigate oppressive forces on their community can apply Lowrider Literacy and Fluencies. One need not own a lowrider, nor be Latino.

ALA Task Force Seeks Your Input on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

The ALA Task Force on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion was created in the spring of 2014 by then ALA President, Barbara Stripling.  The Task Force is currently in the information-gathering phase.  To aid with information gathering, it has launched a series of short surveys to be conducted at times to coincide with the ALA Midwinter Meetings and Annual Conferences through 2016.  These surveys are designed to help understand the culture of the association, the profession, and our communities with respect to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

The first survey presents the Task Force created definitions of equity, diversity, and inclusion and asks individuals to consider ALA’s current alignment to those definitions.  The survey can be accessed athttps://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TFEDI1EMAIL and responses will be collected through February 16, 2015.  ALA members and nonmembers are encouraged to participate.  The final, analyzed results of the survey will be reported on by April 2015 via the Task Force's ALA Connect community and distributed through various ALA channels.

Please take a few minutes to answer the survey, which should take no more than 7 minutes to complete. “Embracing and celebrating diversity, and creating a more inclusive profession have been long-standing goals of the American Library Association.  With your help, we hope to ensure these values are upheld,” said Task Force co-chairs Trevor A. Dawes and Martin L. Garnar.

The ALA Task Force on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion’s charge is to develop a plan and strategic actions to build more equity, diversity, and inclusion among our members, the field of librarianship, and our communities.  The most important Task Force outcome is the public and honest conversation generated by its plan and recommended actions.  The final Task Force report will include recommendations for ensuring that a continuing focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion is embedded throughout the ALA organization.

Questions about the survey can be sent to the Task Force at diversity@ala.org.  Should technical issues arise, please contact the ALA Office for Diversity at diversity@ala.org or 800-545-2433 ext. 5048.

Ethnic Leaders Must Create Change

The reason there has been no real advancement in Education for ethnically diverse people is because leaders do NOT create change within a system that is White-Supremacist, oppressive and hostile to non-European Americans.

What our leadership programs do, is to show students how to 'succeed' in the present White-Supremacist educational system.  By success, they really mean that students can take a place within this oppressive system and provide continuity in a system of violence, intimidation and murder.  

So, the cream of the crop, our best of the best are MOST OFTEN turned into overseers, who continue on and legitimize the present system.  These students legitimize it by taking their place in the system and telling other students that they too can 'succeed,' but they must act 'professional,' not be radical and keep telling others that, "change takes time!"  

How much time is it going to take?:

For them to stop killing our kids, no matter what type of degree we or they have?

For them to treat us like human beings and allow us to grow?

For us to realize that the present system is based on UNREPENTANT Genocide, Land-theft and Slavery AND that this system is NOT sustainable.

We need change and we need it now--not in some distant time.

If we continue on merely taking our place within a system that creates oppression, depression, that allows for the murder of our children, that allows for our children to be locked up in prison and disenfranchised,  that MAINTAINS the current system, then our grandchildren will be asking the same questions that are asked today.

How could this happen?

Why haven't things changed?

What are we going to do?

There is something we can do right now--we can NOT become like the oppressor, not take our place (as instructed to do so)in the grand killing machine that is the US, and to train students to create change themselves.

Change won't happen by conducting research that will please the dominant culture, but by creating real change via direct action and REAL discussion.  How much research do you need to know you live in a system that is horribly sick with issues it has not confronted and solved?

We don't need weak leaders. 

There are so very few of us in higher education, we can't let our 'successes' continue on in this manner.

We need real change and we need it now!