On June 1, 2020, the African American Medical Librarians Alliance (AAMLA) Caucus released a statement about police brutality and systemic racism and violence. We at the Pacific Northwest Chapter of MLA (PNC/MLA) fully support and stand in solidarity with AAMLA and all Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in this fight against systemic racism and police brutality.
In light of recent events and the need to diversify the predominant “whiteness” of our library profession, the PNC is committed to establishing a Diversity Committee that will help our chapter to fulfill our values of diversity, equality, and inclusion. This committee will provide our members with educational opportunities to improve our understanding and practice of anti-racism and amplify the voices of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in our community.
For anyone who needs help getting started, here are some valuable resources specific to the Pacific Northwest region:
- BC Black History Awareness Society
- Hartman IC. Black history in the last frontier. Anchorage, AK: University of Alaska Anchorage and National Park Service; 2020.
- Montana Historical Society. Montana’s African American heritage resources [Internet]. The Society.
- Oliver M. Idaho ebony: the African American presence in Idaho state history. J African Am Hist. 2006 Winter;91(1):41–54.
- Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project. African Americans and Seattle’s Civil Rights History. [Internet]. The Project.
- Thompson CP. Expectation and exclusion: an introduction to Whiteness, White Supremacy, and resistance in Oregon. Oregon Hist Q. 2019 Winter;120(4):358–67.
In the words of the honorable Martin Luther King Jr: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Kathryn Vela, AHIP, and Nancy Shin, on behalf of the PNC/MLA Executive Board