June 2020
The Public Library Directors’ Association of Suffolk County (PLDA) stands firmly with our Black colleagues, community members, and all People of Color. We stand with the American Library Association (ALA), New York Library Association (NYLA) and other Library professional organizations in condemning xenophobia, racism, and violence towards Black people and all People of Color. We condemn the murders of George Floyd and countless others who are the victims of the systemic racism and systematic social injustice which has plagued our country for far too long.
It is no longer enough for Libraries to remain neutral to all points of view. For Libraries to truly advocate for and commit to intellectual freedom and the charge of providing full access to knowledge to all members of our communities regardless of race, color, nation of origin, religion, age, ability, gender identity, or sexual orientation, we as Library administrators must stand up for those in our communities who are treated as less than. We must be agents of change.
We must provide a platform for the works of Black writers and artists. We must educate ourselves to understand and advocate for the diverse communities we serve. We must encourage People of Color to enter our field and hire them when they do. We must commit to speaking out against untruths and misinformation. We must call out “fake news” which only seeks to stoke the fires of division, racism and hate.
In 2018, the American Library Association (ALA) passed a resolution apologizing to African Americans for the wrongs committed against them in segregated public libraries. The governing council of ALA at that time commended the bravery and courage of those who risked their lives to challenge segregation and “for forcing libraries to live up to the rhetoric of their ideals.”
We must commit to “do better.” We must live up to the rhetoric of our ideals.
Signed,
Kelly A. Harris, President and the PLDA Executive Board
The Public Library Directors’ Association of Suffolk County (PLDA) stands firmly with our Black colleagues, community members, and all People of Color. We stand with the American Library Association (ALA), New York Library Association (NYLA) and other Library professional organizations in condemning xenophobia, racism, and violence towards Black people and all People of Color. We condemn the murders of George Floyd and countless others who are the victims of the systemic racism and systematic social injustice which has plagued our country for far too long.
It is no longer enough for Libraries to remain neutral to all points of view. For Libraries to truly advocate for and commit to intellectual freedom and the charge of providing full access to knowledge to all members of our communities regardless of race, color, nation of origin, religion, age, ability, gender identity, or sexual orientation, we as Library administrators must stand up for those in our communities who are treated as less than. We must be agents of change.
We must provide a platform for the works of Black writers and artists. We must educate ourselves to understand and advocate for the diverse communities we serve. We must encourage People of Color to enter our field and hire them when they do. We must commit to speaking out against untruths and misinformation. We must call out “fake news” which only seeks to stoke the fires of division, racism and hate.
In 2018, the American Library Association (ALA) passed a resolution apologizing to African Americans for the wrongs committed against them in segregated public libraries. The governing council of ALA at that time commended the bravery and courage of those who risked their lives to challenge segregation and “for forcing libraries to live up to the rhetoric of their ideals.”
We must commit to “do better.” We must live up to the rhetoric of our ideals.
Signed,
Kelly A. Harris, President and the PLDA Executive Board
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