Description: Diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice remain critically important elements of our library advocacy efforts; they also are interwoven themes with which we struggle within our organizations and within the communities we serve. This highly-interactive, discussion-focused session, featuring a panel of library advocates, will explore the hopes and challenges that drive advocacy, unconscious bias, and ways to be effective in fostering diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice.
Goals: By participating in this session, you will explore ways to incorporate positive action into your work as a library advocate committed to diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice; identify and find ways to decrease unconscious bias within yourself, your peers, and members of the communities you serve; and identify actions you and your partners in advocacy can immediately begin taking to increase diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice within the communities you serve.
During the session, you will identify:
- At least three examples of what advocates within libraries are doing to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice within their communities so you can adapt them to your own situation
- An approach you can incorporate into your work to reduce unconscious bias which is interfering with your ability to support diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice through your advocacy efforts
- At least one step you will take within the week following the session to foster diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice within your organization and/or the community you serv