July 21, 2016 is “Movement for Black Lives’ National Day of Action“. Corresponding with this day of action, librarians Jessica Anne Bratt, Amita Lonial, Amy Sonnie, and Sarah Lawton have announced the rollout of Libraries 4 Black Lives.Org.
Libraries 4 Black Lives bills itself as a, “’call to action’” (that) unifies library efforts and demonstrates our unequivocal professional commitment to social justice and equity. We publicly affirm our support for the Movement for Black Lives and we commit to deepening racial equity work in our institutions and communities.” In its initial rollout, Libraries 4 Black Lives features a page where interested parties may pledge support, an evolving list of suggested actions, a growing resource guide, and an area to submit ideas. The Libraries 4 Black Lives team has also established a “But Aren’t Libraries Neutral?” page addressing the neutrality position adopted by some libraries on social justice issues.
Libraries 4 Black Lives is using the social media hashtag #Libraries4BlackLives. Please visit the Libraries 4 Black Lives site for more information. BCALA and its affiliates are not official sponsors of the Libraries 4 Black Lives project. BCALA is not responsible for content on the Libraries 4 Black Lives site and content/opinions expressed there are not necessarily the views of BCALA leadership or BCALA members.