[Libs-Or] An Unpacking Update

[Unpacking Discussion Group]

*Please forgive the cross-posting. **This is a longer communication we
shared on our blog and with our email list, but we also wanted to share it
with the larger Oregon library community. Thank you for reading and please
reach out using our individual emails included in our signature. Thanks so
much! *

Hello Unpacking Community,

This is a difficult email to send, specifically given the current state of
the world, but we are writing to share that Unpacking will be ending as of
February, 2025.

Since we began this project in 2022, we have had a core group of committed
attendees, but given schedules, life changes, etc, the numbers have
unfortunately been dwindling. We completely understand that people have
commitments and that the format of having a once-monthly virtual meeting
was just not something that worked for everyone, but at this point, we're
unsure about what a new approach would look like for the group.

Though Unpacking may be ending in its current form, we CANNOT stress enough
how much important work there is to do. This is not a signal for
white-identifying folks to retreat into our shells. We know that the world
is overwhelming right now and perhaps more than ever before we need to use
our positions of privilege to dismantle systems of oppression. Though the
more formal meetings will no longer continue, Brittany, Taylor, and Caitlin
are always willing to offer support through conversation, problem-solving,
and resource sharing. Our emails are listed in the Unpacking signature line
so please do not hesitate to reach out.

We will keep the Unpacking website available through the end of February in
case folks wanted to save items from our resource list or blog posts. As of
March 1, the site will be permanently deleted and the Unpacking email
account will no longer be monitored. We chose to delete the Unpacking
website because organizers will no longer be monitoring the site and we
will not be able to keep resources up to date.

In addition to an open invitation to continue using us as resources on a
more 1-on-1 level, we wanted to share some important resources for all of
you moving forward.

OLA's EDIAR committee is an amazing resource. They also have the Overdue
podcast, which I would encourage all of you to follow. The OLA EDIAR
committee will have vacancies as the current members' terms end and, should
any of you be interested in serving on that committee, I would encourage
you to reach out to Brittany as she has served on the committee in the past
and would likely be a good resource for understanding what that commitment
might look like.

The Oregon DOJ has put together a Sanctuary State Toolkit
<https://www.doj.state.or.us/oregon-department-of-justice/civil-rights/sanctuary-promise/community-toolkit/>
that
you can familiarize yourself with as you consider the very real possibility
that ICE may become a presence in your communities, schools, and libraries.

The State Library has also been sharing a lot of resources about EDIA
training and if you're not signed up for the Libs-OR listserv, please
consider joining that listserv to get information!

In Unpacking, we spent a lot of time talking about fear: the fear of
messing up, the fear of saying the wrong thing, the fear of not knowing
enough. We know that the fear and anxiety will likely always be there,
because anti-racism is a journey, not something that you can check off a
training list. But we have to be brave and use our positions of privilege
whenever we can to support marginalized community members. We are so
thankful that you all participated in some way over the past two years and
thank you to continue to do the work outside of the Unpacking discussion
space.

*The Unpacking Team*
unpackingdiscussion.weebly.com
unpackingdiscussion at gmail.com
Caitlin McMahan (she/her) Eugene Public Library | CMcMahan at eugene-or.gov
Taylor Worley (she/her) Eugene Public Library | TWorley at eugene-or.gov
<TWorley at eugene-or.gov>
Brittany Young (she/her) Lane County Law Library |
brittany.young at lanecountyor.gov  <brittany.young at lanecountyor.gov>

*Unpacking  <https://unpackingdiscussion.weebly.com/>*is a discussion-based
forum created to provide a space in which white and white-identifying
individuals can examine the realities of their white privilege. Through
conversation, we explore how to actively dismantle systems which oppress
Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and from which all white and
white-identifying individuals benefit. *Unpacking* is designed for the
communal education of white and white-identifying individuals, but welcomes
all people who would like to contribute to or engage in this work.
Additionally, though *Unpacking *is rooted in conversations about race, we
welcome a broad range of topics which can help libraries and museums to
become more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible.
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