Librarians' Statement
DePauw University Libraries affirm our commitment to continuous antiracist work across our libraries, collections, and services. As our colleagues in the DePauw University Africana Studies program call us all to do, we must work “to do better, to be better, and to have hard conversations that often make us uncomfortable.”
As practitioners at a predominantly white institution, we commit to incorporating antiracist pedagogy in our library instruction. We commit to holding discussions and engaging in conversation about dismantling white supremacy and addressing systemic inequality in our libraries and beyond. We commit to building and administering collections that affirm Black experiences.
We condemn police brutality and violence against the Black community. We have read and endorse the statements issued by colleagues at DePauw University and other organizations:
DePauw Africana Studies program statement
Oberlin Group of Libraries statement
Music Library Association statement
Association of College & Research Libraries statement
We strongly encourage everyone to learn more about antiracism, white fragility, Black Lives Matter, and other topics related to power, privilege, and diversity. DePauw students, staff, and faculty can access books and articles from our library collection or your local public library.
When purchasing these materials, consider supporting Black-owned bookstores, such as the ones on the following list: https://blog.libro.fm/black-owned-bookstores-to-support-right-now-and-always/
DePauw University Librarians
Brooke Cox
Joyce Dixon-Fyle
Kayla Flegal
Caroline Gilson
Tiffany Hebb
Rick Provine
Bruce Sanders
Wesley W. Wilson
Z. Sylvia Yang