My message to you this morning left many AALL members hurt and angry, feeling that AALL did not take a strong enough stance. I want to say firmly that AALL stands against racism and we fully support Black Lives Matter.
I want to reiterate that we want to do better as an Association, fully support our members, and help others understand the impact of racism. We are a work in progress, and we need your help to make this lasting change.
AALL stands in solidarity with our members, and everyone in the communities we serve and support who are susceptible to acts of prejudice, threats of violence, and injury or even death because of their race or ethnicity.
Racism has no place in our Association, our policies, our practices, or our behaviors. As AALL’s Ethical Principles state, “We value diversity. We strive to diversify our membership by creating environments and services that promote inclusion of historically underrepresented people as colleagues and patrons.” Additionally, diversity and inclusion is one of AALL’s core values, and we have always valued and continue to value this as an Association.
The events of the past two weeks have brought forth a lot of pain, disbelief, anger, and reflection. We know change takes time, but AALL will continue to stand with you to advance constructive dialogue and solutions within the legal information industry to bring about that change.
Please know that we are listening, and we are committed to the fight against racial injustice and discrimination. Thank you to those of you who have sent us ideas on what AALL can do. Please continue to email us at leadership@aall.org.
Michelle Cosby
AALL President