[Reforma_or] belated report on JCLC

Fri Jun 23 19:58:15 PDT 2023

Hi all! I promised the State Library I'd share some of my notes on this
year's Joint Council of Librarians of Color conference. I'm attaching and
pasting them here. It was a fabulous conference and I encourage you to
attend if you get the chance.
Saludos,
Deborah

JCLC: Joint Council of Librarians of Color 2023 - quadrennial conference

St Pete Beach, Florida: February 8-12

JCLC 2023 - NOTES (Deborah Gitlitz)

Theme: Gathering for Action: EDI — Where Do We Go from Here?

https://www.jclcinc.org/conference/2022/

The JCLC conference team really led with a vivacious spirit of inclusivity
and professional cheerleading, creating a space where everyone seemed to
feel inspired, galvanized, recharged, and connected. The vast majority of
attendees were library workers of color, and everyone was expressing a vast
sense of relief and recharging at being among BIPOC peers.  All sessions I
attended were excellent - it was a well-curated selection and everyone
brought their A game. It was fun to be at a location that felt special and
vacation-y. It was amazing to see so many library professionals of color
together.

I attended JCLC in order to present (about Libros for Oregon) and to learn.
As a white ally/associate/accomplice, I wanted to understand my BIPOC
colleagues' experience a little better in hopes of growing and improving as
an accomplice. I also just wanted to learn in general from the expertise of
my colleagues. I was not disappointed!

This was a truly stellar conference. I appreciate the State Library's
support in sending me and other scholarship recipients. I highly recommend
that aspiring attendees be supported again in the future.

My notes are not at all comprehensive, but I’m happy to share some of my
takeaways here.

   -

   Deborah Gitlitz

Opening Keynote Speaker <https://www.jclcinc.org/conference/2022/speakers/>

Rachel E. Cargle in Conversation with Julius C. Jefferson Jr.

Cargle’s conference bio:

Rachel Cargle is an Akron, Ohio born writer, entrepreneur and philanthropic
innovation. Her work and upcoming book with Penguin Random House, centers
the reimagining of womanhood, solidarity and self and how we are in
relationship with ourselves and one another. In 2018 she founded The
Loveland Foundation, Inc. <https://thelovelandfoundation.org/>, a
non-profit offering free therapy to Black women and girls.

Her umbrella company, The Loveland Group <https://www.lovelandgroupllc.com/>
houses a collection of Rachel’s social ventures including The Great Unlearn
<https://www.patreon.com/m/thegreatunlearn>, a self-paced, donation-based
learning community, The Great Unlearn for Young Learners
<https://www.tguforyounglearners.com/> – an online learning space for young
folks launching in 2022, and Elizabeth’s Bookshop & Writing Centre
<https://www.elizabethsofakronshop.com/> – an innovative literacy space
designed to amplify, celebrate and honor the work of writers who are often
excluded from traditional cultural, social and academic canons.

Rachel is a regular contributor to Cultured magazine, Atmos magazine and
The Cut, and has been featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times,
Forbes, Harper’s Bazaar and The New Yorker. Rachel lives & loves in
Brooklyn, New York.

Libros for Oregon: Connecting Libraries With the Guadalajara Book Fair, a
Cooperative Buying Approach (Our presentation)

Deborah Gitlitz and Star Khan

We had a full, engaged room and lots of questions. I hope people came away
feeling excited and able to explore the FIL (Guadalajara Book Fair), and
perhaps to borrow aspects of our program model.

Session: Armed with Intellectual Freedom: Current Challenges and Next Steps

Joyce McIntosh <https://jclc2022.us2.pathable.com/people/JookCjMRzoQLMbtbZ>:
Assistant Program Director. Freedom to Read Foundation

Program description: Representatives from the Freedom to Read Foundation
will offer an overview of the current campaign to censor and ban diverse
books in schools and libraries and discuss how librarians can protect
access to information and support the First Amendment while still
maintaining the library's identity as a welcoming and inclusive space that
is an anti-racist, anti-homophobic, and social justice-based organization.

Presenters and resources: Freedom to Read Foundation and ALA Office for
Intellectual Freedom

Please report all challenges!

Resources:

   -

   Merritt Fund - helps library staff retain attorneys & defray other costs
   if their job is affected as a result of their defending intellectual freedom
   -

   UniteAgainstBookBans.org - for community members too
   -

   Library Bill of Rights offers guidance

Tips for handling challenges (of material that was appropriately selected):

   -

   Avoid confrontation in favor of conversation when possible -
   opportunities to educate, share compassion, etc
   -

   Use reviews, selection policies, cataloging rationale, etc to show how
   the material was professionally selected
   -

   Use of the Miller Test
   <https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/defining-obscenity-criterion-value#:~:text=In%20Miller%20v.%20California%2C%20the,%2C%20political%2C%20or%20scientific%20value.>
   - for *legal* assessment of "obscenity"
   -

   Similar for "harmful to minors
   <https://www.justice.gov/criminal-ceos/citizens-guide-us-federal-law-obscenity#:~:text=Harmful%20materials%20for%20minors%20include,and%20lacks%20serious%20literary%2C%20artistic%2C>"
   - must be defined in legal terms
   -

   Is it appropriate for someone in the expected range of users? Eg. for a
   book challenge at a K-12 school -- the judge will look at top of range (If
   it’s appropriate for a 12th-grader, it’s appropriate for the school to have
   -- doesn’t have to suit every student).
   -

   Your challenge policy should include an explicit end to the process. How
   do you know when you’re done?

   -

   Patron behavior in public meetings, etc: Do you have patron behavior
   guidelines? Well, everyone has to follow patron behavior policies in
   meetings on library property, too!
   -

   Public records issues: your work email is public record. If you decide
   to reach out for help to ALA etc, consider using your personal email, which
   is not public information (don’t use work devices to send it)

Session: Re-imagining Leadership

Re the challenges BIPOC leaders face when entering spaces that are not
inclusive and have remained predominantly white

Session description: There are challenges when BIPOC leaders enter spaces
that have historically been white spaces. As leaders of color, we navigate
around spaces that have not been traditionally created for us, having to
deal with a series of roles and competing forces that act upon us as
leaders.

Join in a panel discussion as we share tools and tips needed to navigate
the spaces we are currently in and the ones we may enter into as we level
up in our careers.

Come and hear from directors and branch managers as we discuss ways and
ideas of creating more inclusive work environments among Leadership.

Miscellaneous notes from Re-Imagining Leadership:

2022 Urban Library Trauma Study <https://urbanlibrariansunite.org/ults/>

Ways not to other in publishing:

   -

   Eg: Not italicizing Spanish words in the text - it's not code-switching,
   it's normal lived experience from that character's POV (Deborah’s side
   note: this is translanguaging, and I’ve been loving the trend in this
   direction!)
   -

   Show cultural/racial/etc. specificity through character experience, not
   via footnotes

Expectations of BIPOC at work (responses from attendees):

   -

   Toxic positivity
   -

   Assuage people's guilt
   -

   Put in extra time to get the work done
   -

   Tokenism
   -

   Dumb yourself down - punished for noticing and bringing forward the
   nuances that of course you are aware of
   -

   Assimilate and be grateful
   -

   Perfection
   -

   Agreeability
   -

   Be seen and not heard at the managers' table
   -

   Staff expect BIPOC manager to be loud & stand up, but managers just
   expect you to be grateful to be there

The Harwood Method <https://theharwoodinstitute.org/approach> for community
conversation -- What aspirations do folks have for their community? And
then the library translates on the back end to what can we appropriately
do. (Deborah note: research shows this approach to be a best practice in
community outreach!)

Other notes:

   -

   Pick a mentor, and be a mentor. (These can change over time, of course.)
   -

   Identify your allies & comrades
   -

   Embedding power across rank
   -

   Success factors of your leadership?  -- Transparency in communication

Non-BIPOC: Move beyond allyship into being accomplices

Put your money where your mouth is. Patty's library has all employees spend
25% of their time on EDI work. ALL. Custodians, clerks, security: all! Wow.

Youth Author Luncheon

Moderator: Nakenya Lewis-Yarbrough, with:

S.K. Ali

Tracy Deonn

Kelly Yang

Ebony LaDelle

Raúl the Third

Session: The Black Librarian in America: Reflections, Resistance, and
Reawakening - Celebrating 50 Years of the Black Caucus of the American
Library Association

Session description: In celebration of 50 years of encouraging, nurturing,
supporting & inspiring African American librarians, BCALA has released The
Black Librarian in America: Reflections, Resistance, and Reawakening, the
latest volume in a series. This collection of essays is written by and
about African American librarians and brings attention to issues of race,
diversity, leadership, recruitment, and activism within the library
profession. The first volume in the series edited entirely by women. This
work is important because the struggles and triumphs of Black Librarian is
important to the entire profession.

Call to Action: 3 daily sessions

“The JCLC 2022 Conference is piloting a new opportunity for shared
discussions to speak to the theme of Gathering for Action: EDI — Where Do
We Go from Here?”

Each day’s discussion focused on one of these questions:

   1.

   What comes to mind when you see/hear Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
   (EDI)?
   2.

   Do you think Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion initiatives in the
   workplace have benefited you? Why or why not?
   3.

   Do you work with librarians/library workers that are BIPOC? Do you
   believe your library workforce reflects the community demographics you
   serve?

What the session looked like:

   -

   Powerful statements of mutual support
   -

   Solidarity around stories of racist trauma
   -

   A space for testifying, witnessing, affirming, and mutual support

Some Call to Action quotes, notes, and tidbits:

Walk in your power.

Walk in your excellence.

You know what you bring. It's not your job to make them comfortable .

EDI always comes with stipulations. “I don't want to jump through hoops. I
just want it to be fair.”

Obstacle: White people crying (hurt feelings; emotionally verklempt).
Making it about them.

“Take care of yourselves so we can all come back to this room. Too many
people of color with poor health, and we need each other. Walk your 10,000
steps, go vegan once a week, do whatever you gotta do.”

Stress kills.

Admin on board w EDI as long as your idea is bilingual storytime and not
challenging the racists in your community

EDI is fine but -- where is the money for us?

What about institutions creating scholarships for BIPOC to become
librarians?

Libraries have budgets! What if we set aside $200,000 to pay for US to go
to school and ultimately reduce professional isolation

“What we get here at JCLC, white people get every day”

Book rec: Professional Troublemaker
<https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54916181-professional-troublemaker?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=MR5L4Jy07v&rank=1>

“Organizations are better at opening the door than at providing the
supports to ensure success, keeping doors open, or opening new doors.”

Conference Reception and Awards Celebration (and dance party!)

Each JCLC member organization provided an element of the celebration, from
spoken word poetry to dance to storytelling. The program was engrossing and
joyful.

-- 
Deborah Gitlitz
*Bilingual Community Librarian *| *Bibliotecaria Comunitaria*
*Early Literacy **Trainer * | *Library Consultant*
*2022 Caldecott Committee member*
*Founder, *Libros for Oregon
<https://librosfororegon.wixsite.com/home>; c*o-creator, Fostering
Readers <https://fosteringreaders.weebly.com/>*
deborah.gitlitz at gmail.com  | *she/her/ella*
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