We Here: Speaking Our Truth

Abstract

In this article, we seek to seed an honest conversation about how librarianship needs to meaningfully address systems of structural oppression in order to actualize diversity and inclusion initiatives at large. We will investigate issues of recruitment, retention, education, and mentorship within the Library and Information Science profession through the lens of our experiences as women of color, and as early-career librarians; we will also weave relevant insights reflected from within the literature to support our narratives. Central to this work is an understanding of the barriers that people of color (POC) face in our workplaces and the profession at large; we will discuss this at length throughout. Finally, we will conclude with recommendations on how the profession, as a whole, can do better at retaining and supporting its marginalized workforce. This is a call to action for librarians at every level to hold themselves accountable for the ways in which they are complicit within systems of oppression and inequality. Concurrently, this article aims to generate momentum in coalition building as a tool for POC attempting to navigate the overwhelming whiteness evident within the profession. A Call to Action I have written elsewhere, and shared in numerous public talks and conversations, that my decisions about writing style, about not using conventional academic formats, are political decisions motivated by the desire to be inclusive, to reach as many readers as possible in as many different locations (hooks, 1994, p. 71).

Words matter: interpretations and implications of “para” in paraprofessional

“…The lack of diversity is a long-standing issue in the field, and there is a need for the structures and systems that maintain whiteness in librarianship to be examined and remedied [20]. Diversity initiatives in librarianship have failed to make a meaningful difference, and the number of librarians from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds remains unacceptably low [21,22].…”

Coping with Impostor Feelings: Evidence Based Recommendations from a Mixed Methods Study

“…When advocating for mentorship within professional organizations, we must point out that formal mentorship programs often fail to address the impacts of white supremacy culture on librarianship, especially around how librarians of colour must navigate the whiteness of our profession (Brown et al, 2018). When mentorship programs do not name, identify, or interrogate the whiteness of our institutions, they are unable to provide a supportive environment for participants of colour, and may facilitate feelings of impostor phenomenon, the very thing these programs are designed to disrupt (Brown et al, 2018;Dancy & Brown, 2011).…”

“…When advocating for mentorship within professional organizations, we must point out that formal mentorship programs often fail to address the impacts of white supremacy culture on librarianship, especially around how librarians of colour must navigate the whiteness of our profession (Brown et al, 2018). When mentorship programs do not name, identify, or interrogate the whiteness of our institutions, they are unable to provide a supportive environment for participants of colour, and may facilitate feelings of impostor phenomenon, the very thing these programs are designed to disrupt (Brown et al, 2018;Dancy & Brown, 2011). In addition to supporting and expanding existing diversity-centered mentorship programs, our organizations can create supportive environments for librarians of colour in all mentorship programs by acknowledging the harmful effects of white cultural norms and allowing participants to express their authentic selves (Brown et al, 2018).…”

“…When mentorship programs do not name, identify, or interrogate the whiteness of our institutions, they are unable to provide a supportive environment for participants of colour, and may facilitate feelings of impostor phenomenon, the very thing these programs are designed to disrupt (Brown et al, 2018;Dancy & Brown, 2011). In addition to supporting and expanding existing diversity-centered mentorship programs, our organizations can create supportive environments for librarians of colour in all mentorship programs by acknowledging the harmful effects of white cultural norms and allowing participants to express their authentic selves (Brown et al, 2018). Great strides have been made to create informal and volunteer networks of peer mentors as a response to the lack of support for librarians of colour in formal mentoring spaces (Brown et al, 2018); our professional organizations can recognize this as an opportunity to leverage these networks of experts to improve existing programs.…”

“…In addition to supporting and expanding existing diversity-centered mentorship programs, our organizations can create supportive environments for librarians of colour in all mentorship programs by acknowledging the harmful effects of white cultural norms and allowing participants to express their authentic selves (Brown et al, 2018). Great strides have been made to create informal and volunteer networks of peer mentors as a response to the lack of support for librarians of colour in formal mentoring spaces (Brown et al, 2018); our professional organizations can recognize this as an opportunity to leverage these networks of experts to improve existing programs.…”