University Libraries - About the Libraries

The University Libraries at Iowa offers anti-racism resources that can be accessed by the entire campus community, including students, faculty, staff, and members of our community. These resources can supplement the resources offered by the UI’s Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion.

The University Libraries at Iowa encourages its staff to engage in anti-racism efforts. The following resources are offered not only for our staff but also for any person motivated to take action toward dismantling and unlearning racism.

Resources are organized into categories as suggested by Eddie Moore, Jr., founder and director of The Privilege Institute and the White Privilege Conference (see his 21-day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge).

The list is a living document, which means it will be updated with timely information, recently-published resources, and upcoming anti-racism efforts in the Libraries, on campus, or in our community.

If you have a suggestion for the list, please contact any member of the Libraries’ Staff Development & Diversity Programming Team or the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Action Plan Team.

This page was last updated August 28, 2020.

Read

• Libguide on anti-racism – Rita Soenksen created this guide with input from campus DEI staff, prior Libguides, and current Libraries staff (Jenay Solomon, Janalyn Moss, Laurie Neuerburg, members of the Libraries’ Communication Team, and others).
• White Fragility (Robin DiAngelo) Libraries staff are invited to read this book, gather for discussion sessions, and plan follow-up actions.

Listen

• The Daily On the Ground in Kenosha (aired August 27, 2020)
• The Daily Why They’re Protesting (aired June 5, 2020)
• The Intercepted Podcast – Ruth Wilson Gilmore Makes the Case for Abolition  (released June 10, 2020)
• OnBeing’s Krista Tippett interview with Resmaa Menakem – “Notice the Rage; Notice the Silence” (first aired March 2020, rereleased June 2020)
• The University of Iowa Center for Human Rights is hosting a webinar series, Racial Equity & Human Rights. View recordings of these sessions.
• Libraries staff can access webinars through Staff Development and Diversity offerings on anti-racism. You can find these on SharePoint (LibSPHome > Employee Information > Staff Development).

Watch (streaming for free… )

• 13th
• Selma
• Just Mercy
• Through the end of June, the Criterion Collection has given free access to Black Lives —a collection of “films that focus on the dreams, struggles, desires, and art of black characters and real-life subjects. From rediscovered gems by mavericks of early African American cinema like Oscar Micheaux and Spencer Williams, to independent-film landmarks by Charles Burnett and Julie Dash, to documentary portraits of black artists by white filmmakers Les Blank and Shirley Clarke, to innovative contemporary work by Khalik Allah, these films offer an invitation to reflect on the resilience and creativity of black individuals and communities in the United States and beyond.”

Notice

• Test Your Awareness: Do The Test
• From Eddie Moore, Jr.: “Once people start to learn about white privilege and America’s systems of oppression through history, they often ask, “Why didn’t I see this sooner?” It’s easy to overlook what we’re not looking for. Once you understand the phenomenon of selective noticing, take yourself on a noticing adventure.”

Connect

• Connect with your Libraries colleagues through Staff Development and Diversity workshop offerings on anti-racism. You can find these on SharePoint (LibSPHome > Employee Information > Staff Development).

Engage

• From Eddie Moore, Jr.: “This can be the hardest part for people new to racial justice work. Engaging in racially mixed settings can trigger age-old power and privilege dynamics. The goal is to be a learner more than a knower, exactly the opposite of what dominant U.S. culture teaches us to be.” Here are some Engagement Tips to guide you.

Act

• From Eddie Moore, Jr.: “Find local organizations doing racial justice work and support them by donating your time, money, and other resources.”
  • Beloved Community Initiative
  • Iowa City Showing Up for Racial Justice (IC SURJ)
  • Center for Worker Justice
  • Black Voices Project
  • Eastern Iowa Community Bond Project
• Speak up when you see injustice happening. For example, interrupt racial jokes, speak to your family about your efforts to unlearn and stop racism, get involved in the Libraries’ anti-racism efforts.
• Sharpen your ability to organize meaningful work on social justice and support people doing that work. Check out the Community Justice Exchange.
• Support  the Eastern Iowa Community Bond Project, which “pays immigration bonds for family, dignity, and freedom. Bond is one of the most important factors that determines if an immigrant arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will be deported or granted relief.”

 Reflect

• Libraries staff members can participate in a Zoom listening post to review the draft plan created by the Libraries’ DEI Planning Team on Wednesday, June 24, 10:00-11:15 am. Libraries staff can check SharePoint for the Zoom link.

Stay Inspired

Listen to music. Some suggestions:

• Give Your Hands to Struggle / Sweet Honey in the Rock
• White Privilege / Mackelmore
  White Privilege II / Macklemore
• This Is America / Childish Gambino
• To Be Young Gifted and Black, Nina Simone 

Dance:

• Alvin Ailey “Cry”