Library Solidarity with Palestine + Board Member Profile + Candidate Open House
Library Solidarity with Palestine + Board Member Profile + Candidate Open House
For the People Monthly Newsletter: November 2023
Library Solidarity with Palestine
For the People stands in solidarity with Palestine! We've been happy to see a number of librarian groups put out public statements, share resource guides, or announce upcoming events in solidarity with Palestine and Palestinians.
Librarians and Archivists with Palestine: 2023 Statement on Gaza, and Action Toolkit
Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association: APALA Statement Calling for Ceasefire in Gaza
We Here: Resources for a Free Palestine
Social Responsibility Round Table (of ALA): Opportunities for Librarians and Unions to Protect Palestinians from Censorship
If you happen to be in NYC, join Librarians and Archivists with Palestine at Interference Archive for the event Ten Years of Librarians & Archivists with Palestine on Saturday, November 11th, from 5-8pm
Keep an eye out for an upcoming event from Library Freedom Project for library workers to discuss repression and censorship of Palestinians in the diaspora and their supporters. You can follow their Instagram (@libraryfreedom) or reach out to info@libraryfreedom.org to sign up to get more info about the event
For the People Events
We had a few great events in October, and the first two recordings are now online. If you missed them, please feel encouraged to check out the recorded versions below.
How They Did It with Library Patrons Union and Louisiana Citizens Against Censorship
Beyond Book Bans with Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ)
We have one event coming up this month, our first open house for those running for, or seeking appointment to, their local public library boards.
November 9th: Candidate Cohort Open House
Thursday, November 9th from 6:30PM-7:30PM EDT | 3:30PM-4:30PM PDT
Learn more about For The People’s upcoming candidate cohort of folks who are running for, or seeking appointment to, library boards.
Free event registration: https://www.librariesforthepeople.org/events/candidate-cohort-open-house
For The People is holding a cohort open house for anyone who has already committed to joining or is considering joining our library board candidate cohort. We’ll talk more about the cohort structure and syllabus, and introduce you to some key folks who will be helping along the way. Whether you’re thinking about joining your library board now or in the future, come to our open house to learn more and meet other candidates!
Meet the Leftists Building Local Power for Libraries!
As leftists are building local power by gaining appointment or election to their local library boards, we want to introduce you to the folks who are stepping up in their communities! Today, we’re so excited to share Tracy Jackson’s story with you about her journey to joining her local board in Durham, North Carolina. She says:
I'm Tracy Jackson and have recently joined my local public library's Board of Trustees. I went to library school at UNC Chapel Hill and have been working full time as an archivist in academic libraries since 2011. I am an avid reader and frequent user of public libraries, involved in several professional projects related to inclusion and reparative work, and have lived in Durham, NC, for the past nine years. As a shy person with sometimes intense social anxiety, I have been looking for ways to get active in leftist causes and organizations and have been struggling to find something that fits.
I was inspired to start attending library board meetings by following Mariame Kaba and For The People. At the first board meeting I attended, in early summer, I learned they had vacancies and were accepting applications. In Durham, which is a county library system, the Library Board is appointed by the Board of County Commissioners, using applications residents have submitted themselves. At the meeting I attended, I learned applications were due within two weeks, and they did not actually have enough applications to fill the vacancies. So after battling imposter syndrome for a week (who was I to be on the board?), I submitted an application. In it, I emphasized my strong beliefs in intellectual freedom, library access for all people, and opposition to censorship and book bans.
A month later, I received a letter in the mail that told me the board of commissioners could not come to a majority to approve my appointment. I had been rejected, and it depressed me. I didn't attend the next meeting, and felt like I didn't know how else to get involved yet.
Then in September, I suddenly got an email congratulating me on my appointment to the board. Extremely puzzled but extremely enthusiastic, I dove into the details of the appointment, which included an oath of office and ethics training with the county deputy attorney. At the first board meeting I attended as a member, two weeks ago, I learned that someone else had been appointed but then had to resign; I was a backup choice, as there had clearly been more applications by the deadline, and one of the current library board members had advocated for me based on my application and my presence at the meeting I had attended.
Durham is pretty safely liberal, and the board appears to be full of other people who are also passionate about libraries and access. But I have learned that book challenges have gone up in the past year or two, and we are a blue dot in a very red state, so I am glad to be on the board as another voice for the people. My current term is for three years, and I can serve up to three consecutive terms, so I am looking forward to almost a decade of advocating for libraries.
If Tracy’s story is helping you see yourself joining your local library board, join us at the upcoming Candidate Cohort Open House to learn more about how to run for office or seek appointment. And if you’re already an elected or appointed official serving on your library board and you’d like to be part of our growing network library trustees, please share your information with us to be connected with other leftists serving on library boards across the country.
Updates from Library Land
Here’s a roundup of interesting articles from the last month that we think you’ll appreciate:
“Prison Itself Is Censorship”: Mariame Kaba on the Freedom to Read (Jack McCordick for In These Times)
Reading Between the Bars: An In-Depth Look at Prison Censorship (Moira Marquis and Juliana Luna for PEN America)
The Circle of Fire: The Secretive Censorship of Greenville Library Leadership (Freedom in Libraries Advocacy Group)
Envisioning Safety at Hennepin County Library (Hennepin County Library Envisioning Safety Group)
Students and Activists Are Organizing to Keep Libraries Safe and Funded (Rainesford Stauffer for Teen Vogue)
File Under ‘S’ for Solidarity: Union Members Defend Local Library (Stephanie Luce for Convergence)
How This District Boosted Its Ranks of School Librarians—From Within (Elizabeth Heubeck for Education Week)
Moms for Liberty meets its match: Parents in this swing suburban district are fighting back (Amanda Marcotte for Salon)
Dispatch Newsletter October 2023: Neoliberal Niles (Niles Coalition)
Illinois kickstarts funding to state prison libraries with $420K in grants (Mitchell Armentrout for Chicago Sun Times)
Banned Black History Can Teach Us How to Fight Right-Wing School Censorship (Mark Giles for Truthout)
Ending Censorship Applies to Prison, Too (Kelly Jensen for Book Riot)
For the People Data Collection Update
For The People is compiling the first-ever nationwide database of public library board seats to support leftists in running for, or seeking appointment to, office. Back in early March we launched our Data Collection Project Volunteer Task Force. We’re now 80% done with Phase One of data collection (online research). Phase Two (direct outreach) is also progressing. You can still sign up for either phase at the link below, we have more need for Phase Two help than for Phase One help at the moment, but are always happy to have folx sign up for either!
Volunteer Scoreboard
Huge congratulations to our 1st place contributor, Anonymous Volunteer Extraordinaire, and big thanks to Gesina Phillips for being the 2nd most prolific contributor. We also had a tie for 3rd so two Anonymous Volunteer Extraordinaires will be receiving prizes this month. Winners will receive a prize package as described below.
We really appreciate all of the amazing volunteers who have helped out with this project so far. The prizes are incredible, as you can see below:
1st place🥇: Two items from the For the People Bonfire Store (not to exceed $70 in total value) + A signed copy of Mariame Kaba's book Let This Radicalize You (or a $10 Bookshop gift certificate)
2nd place🥈: One item from the For the People Bonfire Store (not to exceed $30 in total value) + A signed copy of Mariame Kaba's book Let This Radicalize You (or a $10 Bookshop gift certificate)
3rd place🥉: A signed copy of Mariame Kaba's book Let This Radicalize You (or a $10 Bookshop gift certificate)
The scoreboard is an opt-in situation, so volunteers are named "Anonymous Volunteer Extraordinaire" by default unless they explicitly agree to have their name or an alias included on the scoreboard.
Calling All Library Board Candidates
For The People is assembling the first cohort of candidates who are ready to run for a library board seat or seek appointment, and we want YOU to be a part of it! Our cohort will receive 12 weeks of training in three 4-week sections. You’ll learn how to run for office, identify and pursue an appointment, and govern effectively as a leftist library board trustee. This cohort is aimed at candidates who are on track to run or seek appointment between January 1, 2024, and March 15, 2025.
If you’re interested in running but not quite ready yet (or if your race is later than 3/15/25), stay tuned for our next cohort.
To apply for the Cohort, complete our online application here—and congratulations on taking a huge step to defend public libraries!