ACRL Supports ALA, BCALA, and APALA Statements Condemning Violence and Racism

June 2, 2020 ACRL Board of Directors Advocacy, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion 0

ACRL supports ALA in condemning violence and racism towards Black people and all people of color. ACRL endorses the statement of the Black Caucus of The American Library Association (BCALA), which condemns the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers within the Minneapolis Police Department. ACRL endorses the statement of The Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association, which denounces the rise in racism and xenophobia against Asians and Asian/Pacific Americans in wake of the outbreak of COVID-19.

With BCALA, we call on ACRL members to reflect and take action against systemic injustices and inequitable policing practices. We encourage our members to take actions such as:

  • Watch and discuss resources from ALA’s Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services on How to Talk about Race and other recorded webinars and resources.
  • Reexamine your institutional procedures and practices to ensure they are anti-racist.
  • Offer programming in your libraries to inform your communities about systemic racism and colonialism in the United States and Canada.
  • Be an engaged citizen. Take active part in local politics, in support of equitable and anti-racist laws and policies.
  • Inform yourself, your campus colleagues, and your community about local, regional, and national political campaigns, and make sure your vote is cast for anti-racist candidates.
  • Hold political and professional leaders, including ACRL, to a high standard of anti-racist practice.

ACRL has made a Core Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in our strategic plan, and we renew our promise to “acknowledge and address historical racial inequities; challenge oppressive systems within academic libraries; value different ways of knowing; and identify and work to eliminate barriers to equitable services, spaces, resources, and scholarship.” We pledge to oppose racism and systemic violence against people of color in our campus communities, our profession, and our association, and to act with the urgent need for anti-racist reform as our guide.