Diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice remain critically important elements of our library advocacy efforts; they also are interwoven themes with which we struggle within our organizations and within the communities we serve. This highly-interactive, discussion-focused session, featuring a panel of library advocates, will explore the hopes and challenges that drive advocacy, unconscious bias, and ways to be effective in fostering diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice.

Goals:

By participating in this session, you will explore ways to incorporate positive action into your work as a library advocate committed to diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice; identify and find ways to decrease unconscious bias within yourself, your peers, and members of the communities you serve; and identify actions you and your partners in advocacy can immediately begin taking to increase diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice within the communities you serve.

During the session, you will identify:

At least three examples of what advocates within libraries are doing to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice within their communities so you can adapt them to your own situation

An approach you can incorporate into your work to reduce unconscious bias which is interfering with your ability to support diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice through your advocacy efforts

At least one step you will take within the week following the session to foster diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice within your organization and/or the community you serve

Panelists:

Jené Brown, Director of Emerging Technologies and Collections as well as Racial Equity Officer for the Los Angeles Public Library; also serving as California Library Association President

Jill Hurst-Wahl is a member of Widerstand Consulting, which does anti-racism work with many organizations, including libraries. In her own consulting practice (Hurst Associates, Ltd.), she works at the intersection of information, technology, and people, which includes creating inclusive systems and spaces. She is professor emerita at Syracuse University's iSchool.

Essraa Nawar, Development Librarian, DEI Program Coordinator, and Chair of the Arts, Exhibits, and Events Committee at Chapman University; has also been a TDx speaker

Yolande Wilburn, Director, Santa Cruz Public Libraries and a member of the CLA Advocacy and Legislation Committee

Session moderator/facilitator:

Paul Signorelli,a writer, trainer, presenter, and consultant serving as Library Advocacy Training Project Manager for CLA; Storyteller in Residence for the Arizona State University ShapingEDU community; and a board member for the UCLA Daily Bruin Alumni Network 

About the Ursula Meyer Advocacy Fund Training Series

This program is part of an ongoing series of monthly online sessions offered through the Ursula Meyer Advocacy Fund Training Series; sessions are generally held online on the second Wednesday of each month, beginning at 10 am PT. The series honors the memory ofUrsula Meyer, 1977-78 CLA President, California Library Hall of Fame inductee, longtime director of the Stockton-San Joaquin Public Library, and fierce advocate for library services and intellectual freedom. The Ursula Meyer Fund was established to provide for thetraining of librarians in all stages of their careers, and library supporters, in political advocacy and political action, in honor of Ursula’s belief that librarians need effective political skills to advocate for library support at all levels of government.