By Hannah Plotkin and Francesco Fasano The rate of housing loss is unfortunately increasing throughout Arizona. Rising rents, stagnant wages and job insecurity are driving a looming crisis. Exacerb…
“Americans and the Holocaust”: Libraries Keeping the Lights On
By Jenny Silbiger The Americans and the Holocaust (AATH) traveling exhibit arrived to our island home of Oʻahu on January 28, 2022, and left a couple of days ago, on March 9th. The traveling …
Diversity increases with law school deans, according to new AALS study
The ABA Journal is read by half of the nation's 1 million lawyers every month. It covers the trends, people and finances of the legal profession from Wall Street to Main Street to Pennsylvania Avenue.
Wake up : closing the gap between good intentions and real change - Michelle Mijung Kim
"As we become more aware of various social injustices in the world, many of us want to be part of the movement toward positive change. But sometimes our best intentions cause unintended harm, and we fumble. We might feel afraid to say the wrong thing and feel guilt for not doing or knowing enough. Sometimes we might engage in performative allyship rather than thoughtful solidarity, leaving those already marginalized further burdened and exhausted. The feelings of fear, insecurity, inadequacy are all too common among a wide spectrum of changemakers, and they put many at a crossroads between feeling stuck and giving up, or staying grounded to keep going. So how can we go beyond performative allyship to creating real change in ourselves and in the world, together? In The Wake Up, Michelle MiJung Kim shares foundational principles often missing in today's mainstream conversations around "diversity and inclusion," inviting readers to deep dive into the challenging and nuanced work of pursuing equity and justice, while exploring various complexities, contradictions, and conflicts inherent in our imperfect world. With a mix of in-the-trenches narrative and accessible unpacking of hot button issues--from inclusive language to representation to "cancel culture"--Michelle offers sustainable frameworks that guide us how to think, approach, and be in the journey as thoughtfully and powerfully as possible."--Amazon.com
Disabilities and the library : fostering equity for patrons and staff with differing abilities - Clayton A. Copeland (Editor)
"Librarians need to understand the needs and abilities of differently abled patrons, and anyone responsible for hiring and managing librarians must know how to provide an equitable environment. This book serves as an educational resource for both groups"--;"Understanding the needs and abilities of patrons who are differently abled increases librarians' ability to serve them from childhood through adulthood. While some librarians are fortunate to have had coursework to help them understand the needs and abilities of the differently abled, many have had little experience working with this diverse group. In addition, many persons who are differently abled are--or would like to become--librarians. Disabilities and the Library helps readers understand the challenges faced by people who are differently abled, both as patrons and as information professionals. Readers will learn to assess their library's physical facilities, programming, staff, and continuing education to ensure that their libraries are prepared to include people of all abilities. Inclusive programming and collection development suggestions will help librarians to meet the needs of patrons and colleagues with mobility and dexterity problems, learning differences, hearing and vision limitations, sensory and cognitive challenges, autism, and more. Additional information is included about assistive and adaptive technologies and web accessibility. Librarians will value this accessible and important book as they strive for equity and inclusivity"--
BCG recently surveyed 2,230 transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) employees in eight countries and conducted 34 interviews with TGNC employees. They found that TGNC employees want respect in the workplace, which is both reasonable and achievable for organizations committed to DEI. While everyone is responsible for creating a safe, welcoming, and inclusive workplace, CEOs, HR departments, and managers stand out in their ability to make a difference. The authors unpack the data and present several strategies for creating inclusive cultures for TGNC employees.
Majority of minority female lawyers consider leaving law; ABA study explains why
Seventy percent of female minority lawyers report leaving or considering leaving the legal profession, according to an ABA report on the challenges that they face.
Primer: Issues of Racial Justice and Inclusion - Movement Advancement Project
"By 2050, more than half of Americans will be people of color – and today, nearly every indicator of well-being shows disturbing disparities according to race. Yet the LGBT movement’s lack of substantive work on issues most relevant to people of color leaves the movement vulnerable to irrelevance and division—and leaves fully one-third of the members of the LGBT community underserved.
This primer aims to inform and motivate LGBT-movement funders to work explicitly on issues of racial justice and inclusion. The primer illuminates general issues of race and ethnicity in American society, discusses why funders aiming for LGBT equality should work explicitly on matters of race, offers recommended philanthropic approaches to racial justice and inclusion (including language recommendations from the Aspen Institute and a model organizational self-assessment from the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Race Matters Toolkit), and provides recommendations specific to LGBT movement work on racial equity and inclusion.
Also included in the primer’s appendix is information on nearly 50 nonprofit and philanthropic organizations working on race, which can serve as a starting point for learning more about existing resources related to this work. Note that this report does not reflect original research into LGBT-specific racial matters. Sources were limited to secondary research and a small number of interviews."
Race & Gender Wage Gaps Archives - National Women's Law Center
Comparing what women of color are paid to what white, non-Hispanic men make demonstrates the enormous economic impact of the double burden of sexism and racism.
Why we’re dedicated to race and social justice Over half of the people Solid Ground serves are people of color. Many face challenges as a direct result of institutional racism: housing discrimination, benefits denial, predatory lending, employment barriers, and disparities in the education and criminal justice systems. Simply put: we can’t be an effective anti-poverty
Working at the Intersections: LGBTQ Nonprofit Staff and the Racial Leadership Gap - Building Movement
This report builds on data from Building Movement Project’s Race to Lead survey, conducted with more than 4,000 respondents across the nonprofit sector. This report, the second in the Race to Lead series, analyzes experiences of respondents who identified as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender or Queer (LGBTQ).
The angry Black woman stereotype exists in many parts of American culture — including the workplace. Studies show people in organizations believe Black women are more likely to have belligerent, contentious, and angry personalities, an assumption not as readily assigned to other men and women. Recent studies suggest this negative perception is a unique phenomenon for Black women, and the researchers suggest that when Black women outwardly express anger at work, her leadership and potential are called into question.
American Library Association Condemns Ongoing Threats Against Libraries
CHICAGO - The American Library Association (ALA) condemns—in the strongest terms possible—the violence, threats of violence and other acts of intimidation that are increasingly taking place in America’s libraries, including last week’s bomb threats to Hilton Central District Schools in New York, which put the lives of hundreds of innocent children and staff members in jeopardy.
LIS Interrupted : Intersections of Mental Illness and Library Work - Miranda Dube (Editor); Carrie Wade (Editor)
"Provides a collection of both personal narratives and critical analyses of mental illness in the LIS field, exploring intersections with labor, culture, stigma, race, ability, identity, and gender"--
Ableism 101 - What is Ableism? What Does it Look Like?
As buzzwords like social justice, equity, and inclusion permeate our conversations, it’s essential for advocates of progress to remember another ‘ism.’
Is Your Company Inclusive of Neurodivergent Employees?
The number of people with autism entering the workforce in the next 10 years and beyond is on the rise, with the growth cutting across racial, ethnic, and geographic lines. Currently, the unemployment rate among people with autism remains high, with some estimates coming in at over 80%. The heightened profile of disability, equity, and inclusion functions in major employers is already leading companies to think about forms of diversity beyond race and gender. Since the early 2010s, a network of major employers has developed targeted employment initiatives and protocols to better integrate this workforce into their companies. But the number of companies involved in neurodiversity hiring initiatives is modest today, as is the number of participating workers. What can we learn from the companies that have integrated these programs successfully, and how can companies without the resources for dedicated programs make real progress in bringing neurodivergent employees into their organizations?
Mental Health First Aid | American Libraries Magazine
Though many library staffers receive physical first aid and CPR training, mental health first aid training happens far less often. However, it can defuse tense situations, provide needed resources, and help patrons through crises.
Texas Supreme Court Rules Request for Disability Accommodation Does Not Support Retaliation Claim Under State Law
Texas courts generally look to federal courts’ interpretation of federal anti-discrimination laws to assist in interpreting the anti-discrimination provisions of the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act (TCHRA). However, the provisions of the TCHRA do not always exactly mirror the language of parallel federal anti-discrimination laws. The Texas Supreme Court recently examined such differences in interpreting the scope of the anti-retaliation provisions of the TCHRA.