-JoyAnn Boudreau Time to Start It was hard for me to start this. I wanted it to be a perfect opening. But if we wait for something to be perfect or if we wait to be ready, then sometimes things don't happen. I used to sit on the sidelines when it came to equity work for the same reasons. "What if I said the wrong thing?" "But I don't like confrontation." (Ugh. There is some white privilege in those excuses that I see now. White educators and people can choose whether or not to opt into these conversations and work. That's not a choice people of color typically have.) I needed to confront that and my fears of making mistakes to start creating some noise and raising my voice louder with equity work. Librarians have an eons old stereotype of being the shushers, but I think we can also be the noise makers. What better thing to make noise about than equitable access, representation, and inclusion in our libraries and schools? Librarians MUST be involved in equity work personally and professionally. We are one of the "gatekeepers" in our schools or institutions. We are one of the few people in our buildings who affect and interact with every single student, patron, and/or adult. Helping every kid see themselves in books (read Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop work on this), standing up to soft censorship (read K. A. Holt's piece on this), demanding resource/technology access for everyone, and dismantling systems that aren't working to replace with new ones are what we do. If we aren't looking at those through an equity lens, then some people relying on us will not get the resources, information, books, technology, or ally they need and deserve. The Preface I was asked in late spring or early summer if I would join the ISTE Librarian Network team to help push focus and growth towards diversity and equity work. This came as a surprise for a few reasons, namely: 1) I feel like a small fish in a big pond when I look at the current and past ISTE Lib leadership. 2) I am white. (No need to beat around the bush. I am going to try to be as up front and transparent as possible in these posts.) There was some internal struggle, folks. I was of course honored, and I am passionate about and professionally and personally invested in equity work, but I felt uncertain how folks would perceive a white lady taking on that position. I also know I still have much to learn, but I do not think there is an end to learning when it comes to equity work. There is always be more for me to unlearn, learn, or relearn. As a new member, after speaking with others on the team, I know that ISTE Lib passionately wants to diversify their leadership. Unfortunately and frankly, a lot of white institutions, including educational professional organizations, do not often know the best ways to go about putting this into action. (Let's be clear. That is not an excuse. We must work to educate ourselves and others on how to get better at this. That is part of what I want to talk to folks about as I work on having equity minded blog posts this year and part of what we need to work on learning.) In addition to sharing some of the resources I'm learning from, I want to bring in other voices of people who are doing equity work and look for ways to connect that work to libraries and/or technology. The goal will be to blog at least once a month on here with an equity minded focus and to hear from guests in many of those. Ideas on Getting Started If you're wondering where to get started with your equity work, I would highly recommend attending a workshop. I attended a two day workshop three years ago entitled "Dismantling Racism." That workshop forever changed the lens I view the world through and what I notice about how marginalized groups get treated and how aware I am of my own privileges. Don't get me wrong. That workshop didn't teach me everything I need to know. There is no miracle workshop. But that workshop really opened my eyes to how much I didn't know, which shifted my equity work in an integral way. If you're looking to learn more, there are several books you could read. Shea Martin (@sheathescholar) posted a question on Twitter back in May asking for recommendations for a "race/equity/inclusion" book for a staff book study. Here is a spreadsheet Martin shared on Twitter of the results. Tricia Ebarvia recently prompted folks to look through who they were following on Twitter. Ebarvia (@triciaebarvia) typed, "So long story short, consider checking your network: Who are you following? Why? Are the voices in your follow list diverse? Does your follow list include scholars and experts in the fields of anti-racism and education? If not, why not?" (Highly recommend reading the whole thread Ebarvia posted.) Twitter is a wealth of resources for folks that want to learn more about diversity, equity, and inclusion work. Here is a Twitter list I started this summer of some of the many folks I have learned from the past couple of years via Twitter that have impacted my equity growth and thinking. Also there are many hashtags to follow, such as: #ClearTheAir, #DisruptTexts, #EduColor, #miseducAsian, or #TeachPride. If you're looking for a way to move your school's or institution's equity work forward, do you have a building equity team? My current school district already had one when I joined. Being able to connect with other educators who are also trying to disrupt and shift things is powerful. No established team? Are their others who would join you in starting one? Is someone else already leading this work that you can potentially amplify and co-conspire with? Have a conversation with them. Coming up empty handed? Find some folks who are also passionate about equity work in your institution and start the conversations. Start by looking at your systems and who is or is not benefitting from them. If you're looking for a way to help students or colleagues, start by letting them know you are their ally. GLSEN's Ally Week was just the other week. On Twitter recently I asked folks, "What are we already doing to be an ally to students? What could we start doing? Do students know we are their ally? How do they know, or how could we show them?" As librarians, it's important we advocate for ALL students. If you're wanting an easy fix, there isn't one. Equity work is difficult and uncomfortable. But I've learned, thanks to the guidance and wisdom of others, to lean into that discomfort in order to grow. I hope you'll join us in looking for ways to grow in equity work. Comments are closed.
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AboutThe purpose of the ISTE Librarians Network is to promote librarians as leaders and champions of educational technology and digital literacy. The key mission is to provide a professional learning community where librarians can leverage technology knowledge and expertise to improve school library programs, increase access to information, and foster strong teaching and learning environments in a connected world. Archives
April 2020
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