Reflections on GARE's Advancing racial equity in public libraries: Case studies from the field9/14/2020 “It takes political will, intellectual energy, and practical skill, first, to recognize the racist legacies of LIS structures ... and, then, to devise ways to transform them.” (Christine Pawley, “Unequal legacies: Race and multiculturalism in the LIS curriculum,” Library Quarterly, 2006) The document Advancing racial equity in public libraries: Case studies from the field from the Government Alliance on Race and Equity is thick with jargon and initially sets off my alarms for corporate masturbation. Like “sensitivity training” for police, would this be another elaborate but ineffective exercise that looks good on paper but never gets outside of the training room? Thankfully, the report delivers multiple examples of the plan carried into action by a handful of public libraries, proving its point that “change can happen quickly when it becomes an institutional priority.”
On a practical and measurable level, GARE defines racial equity as “When race can no longer be used to predict life outcomes and life outcomes for all groups are improved.” Ultimately, the goal according to PolicyLink’s “Equity Manifesto” is “just and fair inclusion into a society in which all, including all racial and ethnic groups, can participate, prosper and reach their full potential.” GARE takes this rather lofty and utopian goal and addresses it with a six-step plan designed to tackle every aspect of the issue. Under the rubrics of “Normalize” and “Organize,” the GARE plan first calls for gathering support among the leadership, then moving out into the staff and other stakeholders and into the community itself. It then “Operationalizes” by using established tools to measure problems and devise solutions in a “Racial Equity Plan.” The advantage of this elaborate plan is its involvement of people of color at all levels in leadership positions. Libraries have long been dominated by well-meaning white folks who have assumed that they know what communities of color need without having to consult them. That library staffs are so overwhelmingly white does not help the situation. Past problems associated with this unbalance include segregation; “neglect[;] paternalism[;] … tacit approval of prevailing norms[;]” “adding scattered voices from communities of color without a meaningful shift in power, representation or authority[;]” and multicultural initiatives that “merely celebrate[] differences as exotic” (Lorna Peterson quoted in Honma, 2005) and are “usually focused on creating more tolerant individuals rather than more equitable institutions.” As April Hathcock says, this was (and is) “a self-congratulatory and complacent approach to the ‘problem of diversity’ without ever overtly naming and addressing the issue of whiteness” (2015). Frankly, we white people are naturally incapable of seeing the problems without assistance. Our privilege blocks us from the realities that people of color live with on a daily basis. We need to take our direction from people of color who have a clearer view. At the same time, we need to own the “issue of whiteness.” Racism is a problem, but it’s not “their problem”—it’s ours. We can’t see it because we have been immersed in it for our entire lives. By “ensuring people of color are leading the work and involved in planning early and often,” we gain access to that valuable outside perspective and are given an opportunity to make real changes. But what matters are the results, not the rhetoric. It is essential to point out that none of these solutions are in the form of a quota system. Each one addresses a disparity that affects communities of color more so than white communities, therefore improving racial equity without erecting artificial barriers for white patrons. This should legitimately take all the wind out of the sails of whatever opposition might arise. Here are just a few of the important changes that the GARE plan has been able to achieve: Fines and Other Access Barriers
Programming
Computer Access
Hiring and Workplace Culture
The GARE plan appears to be extraordinarily successful in helping libraries to reach their racial equity goals. Old solutions have failed for too long. Widespread adoption of the GARE plan would lead to giant steps in the right direction.
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AuthorJeffrey Babbitt, MLIS, is a graduate of the School of Library and Information Science at Wayne State University who is pursuing a career as a librarian in Michigan. Subject Headings
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June 2021
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