June 12, 2020
The International Cooperation Caucus (ICC) of MLA is devastated by the recent and many incidents of police violence and brutality in the United States and stands in solidarity with the African American Medical Librarians Alliance (AAMLA) Caucus of MLA, many other MLA caucuses, the global library community, and the Black Lives Matter movement in condemning police brutality and state-sanctioned violence that continues to take Black lives. We further condemn the systemic racism that permeates US society through individual, group, and institutional actions and structures and results in the continuation of such violence. As an internationally focused caucus, we denounce state-sanctioned acts of violence globally, and we express our solidarity with all individuals and groups who are targeted for such violence because of their race or ethnicity, national origin, citizenship, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability status, or other circumstances or identities.
We affirm a deep appreciation of and camaraderie across cultural, linguistic, racial, ethnic, and national identities, and a strong focus on actions and work that address global health and health equity.
Going forward, we commit ourselves to continuously examine our work and actions within our caucus, MLA, and other communities, in the United States and beyond, to identify and intentionally address implicit and explicit bias and systemic inequities; to welcome and respond to feedback and suggestions from our colleagues and others; and to act to advocate and educate on anti-racism in our work and communities.
Virginia (Ginny) Pannabecker, AHIP, on behalf of ICC leadership