Last week I had the amazing opportunity to present at the 5th national Joint Conference of Librarians of Color (JCLC). What a joy it was to be part of this amazing gathering where several ethnically focused librarian associations came together for training and support. Now, I’m comfortable talking about race, culture, and leadership in almost any setting, but leading up to this presentation I wasn’t sure how it would go. I am a leader, educator, and consultant by trade and used to speaking to the staff of schools, nonprofits, and churches. Yet, I was very grateful when my proposal for “From Redlines to Lifelines” was accepted.
On my way to Spokane, Washington for this JCLC gathering I wondered how the material would be received. This group was comprised of participants from the American Indian Library Association (AILA), the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA), the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA), the Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA), and REFORMA: The National Association to Promote Library & Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-speaking. But as you can see we had an amazing time! What united my work with those present was the understanding of the need for safe spaces for people of color.
A common phrase that kept coming up in our time together was, “there’s just something about spaces for us to be us with no explanation.” Are you providing safe spaces for your staff to just be themselves?
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