It has been a tumultuous year to be the Chair of the Pacific Northwest Chapter of MLA. While things haven’t played out the way I had hoped they would when I transitioned into the Chair position, I’ve done my best to be an effective and compassionate leader.

This week, our Executive Board decided it was necessary for us to release a statement in solidarity with our Black colleagues and to take real action in our own Chapter to improve our engagement with diversity:

On June 1st, 2020, the African American Medical Librarians Alliance (AAMLA) released a statement about police brutality and systemic racism and violence. We at the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Medical Library Association (PNC/MLA) fully support and stand in solidarity with AAMLA and all Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in this fight against systemic racism and police brutality.

In light of recent events and the need to diversify the predominant “whiteness” of our library profession, the PNC is committed to establishing a Diversity Committee that will help our Chapter to fulfill our values of diversity, equality, and inclusion. This committee will provide our members with educational opportunities to improve our understanding and practice of anti-racism and amplify the voices of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color within our community. 

For anyone who needs help getting started, here are some valuable resources specific to the Pacific Northwest region:

Thompson, Carmen P. “Expectation and Exclusion: An Introduction to Whiteness, White Supremacy, and Resistance in Oregon.” Oregon Historical Quarterly, Winter 2019, 120:4

Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project. African Americans and Seattle’s Civil Rights History. 

Oliver, M. (2006). Idaho Ebony: The African American Presence in Idaho State History. The Journal of African American History, 91(1), 41-54. Retrieved June 24, 2020.

Montana Historical Society. Montana’s African American Heritage Resources.

Hartman, I.C. (2020). Black history in the last frontier. National Park Service: University of Alaska Anchorage. 

BC Black History Awareness Society

In the words of the honorable Martin Luther King Jr: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”

Kathryn Vela, MLIS, and Nancy Shin, MLIS, on behalf of the PNC/MLA Executive Board

I’m proud of my Executive Board for drafting this statement, and I look forward to seeing the improvements brought forward by our newly formed Diversity Committee.