Library and Academic Institution Movements & the Law

A conservative campaign to ban certain books from schools is prompting other parents to push back. The issue is often framed as the latest "culture war" battle, but some see democracy itself at stake.

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.

A unified voice for home broadband access, public broadband access, personal devices, and local technology training and support programs. A community of digital inclusion practitioners and advocates.

As efforts to control books continue, Nashville Public Library hopes to reach thousands of readers with its "I read banned books" card.

These nonfiction books about censorship offer different perspectives in various formats to show how censorship and book banning persists.

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…

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 …

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.

With challenges to books in the United States at a high, the Matinicus Island Library is a remote haven for controversial literature

The American Library Association says libraries faced the highest number of book challenges since they started tracking in 2000. Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer topped their list of most challenged books.

"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

"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.

Attacks on DEI have drawn criticism from Black and Hispanic leaders, students and faculty groups.

Conversations about where we’re at and how we move forward.

Author(s): Pho, Annie; Chou, Rose L.

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.

"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."

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

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.

Tech creators and journalists ignore the insights and experiences of Black women—and fail to see the harm of their "innovations."

Dr. Angelica Geter strives to build systems and criteria that ensure Black women's psychological safety at work.

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.

Belonging is a fundamental human need, and one that is linked to many of the most complex challenges of our time. Without a sense of belonging, individuals and communities suffer; with it, they thrive. Yet, because belonging is notoriously difficult to measure, it is often ignored in efforts to address the deep fractures in our societies. One purpose of this report is to call attention to belonging as a factor that matters deeply for leaders and stakeholders across diverse sectors.

Leaders should be sure to address the anxiety proactively, and with as much transparency as possible.