Name Change Statement by MLA’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee

 Submitted by: Kelsa Bartley, Community Building and Belonging Committee Chair

On April 9, 2025, the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee requested that the MLA Board approve its name be changed to the Community Building and Belonging (CBB) Committee and requested language updates to the committee’s charge and web pages due to recent executive orders and political climate affecting MLA members nationwide. The MLA Board approved the request. This measure is to ensure that members of the Committee, which is composed of librarians from various institutions, are able to continue the important work the committee was established to do as safely as possible. The Committee is optimistic that these measures will reduce barriers to participation and facilitate successful recruitment of future committee members; including those from regions or institutions subject to stricter regulations relevant to this work. The Committee believes that adopting these recommendations will continue to provide an open, welcoming, and collaborative environment for all members while staying true to MLA’s principles, core values and its mission of belonging, fairness, and representation.

The Committee wants to stress how difficult this decision has been to make, given the tremendous amounts of work it took, first by the MLA Diversity and Equity Task Force (2017-2020) and since the Committee’s inception in 2020, to make inclusive initiatives a reality. We understand that this may appear to be preemptive based on the current political climate. Please know that the librarians on this committee, as well as those who serve our membership as leaders of this collective organization, are deeply committed to the work of promoting and encouraging an MLA that is representative of the organization’s varied membership at all levels—one of fairness, representation, and belonging. We are dedicated to ensuring that the organization continues to be a place of belonging for everyone, especially those of us who continue to face exclusion and discrimination in our institutions, geographic regions, and wider society.

Changing the committee’s name and charge does not and will not change the importance or urgency of advocating for equity. We trust that the committee’s sustained presence and commitment will continue to serve as a source of encouragement and reassurance for colleagues who may lack the opportunity or capacity to voice their perspectives openly.