Copley Library Statement Against Racism
March 2021
Copley Library acknowledges the existence of and condemns all events of racism, xenophobia, misogyny, and hate endangering the lives of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in our local and global communities or here at USD. Most recently, the murders of Asian women and others in Atlanta, Georgia as well as the increasing number of anti-AAPI attacks in California and nationwide disheartens us and reaffirms our commitment to eradicating racism and other systemic oppressive structures. We agree and support the statements sent out by others on campus including, but not limited to: Black Faculty Statement, Black Student Resource Commons, and a variety of faculty across schools.
Copley Library’s mission is to serve all students, staff, and faculty regardless of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, or gender expression. Copley Library is a welcoming and safe haven for all on campus and a place that provides care for our community. We are committed to educating and supporting the university community by creating a designated DEIA resources budget in order to have a more robust DEIA collection, updating the DEIA LibGuide with news and events, using the library digital and physical space to celebrate diversity, invite speakers to discuss issues related to DEIA, among other actionable ideas to keep ourselves accountable. Below are a collection of resources and statements developed by library organizations:
● APALA COVID-19 Resources
● Fighting Anti-Asian Racism: Tools for Libraries - Intellectual Freedom Blog
● 2021 APALA COVID-19 Resources
As we work toward our goals, the DEIA LibGuide will serve as a dynamic public record of our accountability and commitment towards creating a more inclusive environment and collection for students, staff, and faculty.
Signatories:
Martha Adkins, Amy Besnoy, Hugh Burkhart, Theresa Byrd, Kathleen Dang, Jasmin de Unamuno, V. Dozier, Michael Epstein, Cindy Espineli, Millicent Fullmer, Leslie Hovland, Karla Kalin, Jordan Kobayashi, Diane Maher, Amanda Makula, Christopher Marcum, Alejandra Nann, Karen O'Grady, Catherine Paolillo, Marguerite Peoples, Angela Perine, Adam Rickey, Steven Staninger, Laura Turner, Julie Wright
Statement was developed in March 2021 by the Copley Library Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Committee (Alejandra Nann, V. Dozier, Jordan Kobayashi, Catherine Paolillo, and Angela Perine).
Coded bias by CODED BIAS explores the fallout of MIT media lab researcher Joy Buolamwini's startling discovery that facial recognition does not see dark-skinned faces accurately, and her journey to push for the first-ever legislation in the U.S. to govern against bias in the algorithms that impact us all.
Teach us all by Sixty years after the Little Rock Nine faced mobs of racially charged hatred and became cornerstones of the Civil Rights movement, TEACH US ALL examines how the present day United States education system fails to live up to that promise of desegregation as it slides back into a re-segregation of its modern schools
The Black Church: This is Our Story, This is Our Song by Trace the history of the Black Church in America. From enslavement to today, the series explores key events shaping an institution at the heart of African American communities on the frontlines of hope and change
Coming Out by In this video documentary, you will watch real interviews with gay and lesbian teenagers and their parents as they share their experiences of coming out. You will also hear expert commentary by Dr. Wendy Rosen on the special issues these teenagers face at home and at school, as well as the different stages and processes they and their families go through in order to fully embrace their sexuality.
Race in America by Focusing on the socially explosive concept of race and how it has affected human interactions, this work examines the social and scientific definitions of race, the implementation of racialized policies and practices, the historical and contemporary manifestations of the use of race in shaping social interactions within U.S. society and elsewhere, and where our notions of race will likely lead.
Indigenous Peoples and Colonialism by Although living in different locations around the world and practising highly varied ways of life, indigenous peoples nonetheless are affected by similar patterns of colonial dispossession and violence. In defending their collective rights to self-determination, culture, lands and resources, their resistance and creativity offer a pause for critical reflection on the importance of maintaining indigenous distinctiveness against the homogenizing forces of states and corporations.
The Gay Revolution by The fight for gay, lesbian and trans civil rights is the most important civil rights issue of the present day. Based on rigorous research and more than 150 interviews, The Gay Revolution tells this unfinished story not through dry facts but through dramatic accounts of passionate struggles, with all the sweep, depth and intricacies only an award-winning activist, scholar and novelist like Lillian Faderman can evoke.
Asian American Dreams by This groundbreaking book traces the transformation of Asian Americans from a few small, disconnected, and largely invisible ethnic groups into a self-identified racial group that is influencing every aspect of American society. It explores the events that shocked Asian Americans into motion and shaped a new consciousness. Helen Zia, the daughter of Chinese immigrants, writes as a personal witness to the dramatic changes involving Asian Americans.
Disability and Religious Diversity by This collection of essays examines how diverse religions of the world represent, understand, theologize, theorize and respond to disability and chronic illness. Contributors employ a variety of methodological approaches including ethnography, historical, cultural, or textual analysis, personal narrative, and theological/philosophical investigation.
Campus Counterspaces by In this critique of how universities have responded to the challenges these students face, Keels offers a way forward that goes beyond making diversity statements to taking diversity actions.
A Dream Denied by Young minority men are often portrayed in popular media as victims of poverty and discrimination. A Dream Denied delves deeper, investigating the social and cultural implications of the "American dream" narrative for young minority men in the juvenile justice systems in Boston and Chicago.
Headcase by Headcase is a groundbreaking collection of personal reflections and artistic representations illustrating the intersection of mental wellness, illness, and LGBTQ identity, as well as the lasting impact of historical views equating queer and trans identity with mental illness. The pieces offerpersonal views from both providers and clients, often one and the same, about their experiences.
Invisible Asians by Kim Park Nelson analyzes the processes by which Korean American adoptees' have been rendered racially invisible, and how that invisibility facilitates their treatment as exceptional subjects within the context of American race relations and in government policies.
