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Critical Conversations: �A Tool for Dismantling �White Supremacy at PWI’s

Leah Kerr Follow along:

Laurin Penland http://bit.ly/DWS-IDEAL

Kelly Wooten

Rubenstein Library, Duke University

Introduction: Kelly

Welcome everyone! We are glad you are joining us for this workshop--we have a lot to cover in a short amount of time, so we’re going to get started. While we are introducing ourselves and the workshop, take a moment to jot down your questions coming into this session. If we don’t answer them along the way, we may have time at the end or you can contact us afterward.

I’m Kelly Wooten, my pronouns are she/her, and I’m the research services and collection development librarian for the Sallie Bingham Center for Women’s History and Culture at the Rubenstein Library. Since 2016, I have been chair of the Duke Libraries Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council (or DivE-In) and have been inspired by this work and that of my colleagues at other predominantly white institutions (PWIs) who are taking a critical eye to the whiteness of archives and libraries.

One of our colleagues, Leah Kerr, was not able to join us due to an unexpected conflict, but she has been essential to our work and to planning this workshop, so we are going to introduce her in absentia.

Leah Kerr’s pronouns are she/her, and she’s a processing archivist at the Rubenstein Library. She writes, “I’ve been drawn to this work at Duke because the library has been working on DEI issues, which like many of you, I’ve dealt with all of my life. When I was offered the opportunity to make changes within my PWI, I said YEAH.”

I’M LAURIN PENLAND, MY PRONOUNS ARE SHE/HER, AND I’M A LIBRARY ASSISTANT FOR MANUSCRIPT PROCESSING IN TECHNICAL SERVICES AT THE RUBENSTEIN LIBRARY. I CAME TO THIS WORK BECAUSE I AM INSPIRED BY COMMUNITY ORGANIZING THAT IS HAPPENING IN DURHAM, North Carolina, AND I WANT DUKE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES TO BE A MORE INCLUSIVE AND DIVERSE INSTITUTION.

We wanted to address the fact that we are two white people presenting on diversity and inclusion in libraries-- we want to acknowledge that it’s essential for white people to do this work in collaboration with people of color and to acknowledge the privilege we have in not bearing the burden of racism in the same way.

I also want to point out the handouts that we have-- we have a mini zine and a large print mini zine with some tips and resources. This is downloadable in case you don’t get one or want to share it. The smaller one is double-sided. We also have a few large print copies of the list of white privileges we’ll get to later, and a few large print copies of the presentation (slightly different from this version but close enough to follow along.)

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Honey, I shrunk the workshop

Mini version:

Community Agreements
Selected core concepts
Brainstorming examples of white privilege in archives and possible remedies
Rubenstein Library outcomes
Planning your own workshop

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Two Hour Version:

Community Agreements
Overview of core concepts
Collectively read “Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Peggy McIntosh
Collectively generate statements of white privilege in archives
Collectively generate action items for dismantling those privileges
Reflection
Next Steps

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Community Agreements (1 of 2)

This session should be a welcoming, supportive, and comfortable space for all participants. You needn’t have done any readings in advance in order to participate.
Please avoid using your laptop or other devices (not needed for accessibility reasons) during this workshop. Commit to listening and sharing without disruption or interruption.
Before you speak, you may request that what you say is “off the record.” �It will not be shared during the larger group share-back, on social media, �or in participant’s notes.

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Community Agreements (2 of 2)

We all have different ways of communicating. You needn’t participate verbally (you can write or draw out your thoughts as well), but we agree to make sure there is time and space for everyone who wants to participate in the dialogue. Practice “move up/move back”: if you are noticing that you are speaking frequently, practice listening; if you are normally listening/quiet, challenge yourself to speak up.
This workshop will feel different for different people. People’s experiences and backgrounds will vary. Some people will be coming to these ideas for the first time, others will have been grappling with them for a long time. Regardless, no one should be forced to speak up or be asked to speak for an entire identity group.

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What is White Supremacy?

"…a political, economic, and cultural system in which whites overwhelmingly control power and material resources, conscious and unconscious ideas of white superiority and entitlement are widespread, and relations of white dominance and non-white subordination are daily reenacted across a broad array of institutions and social settings.”

Frances Lee Ansley, "Stirring the Ashes: Race Class and the Future �of Civil Rights Scholarship." Cornell L. Rev. 74 (1988): 993.

Laurin:

ONE OF THE GOALS OF THIS MINI WORKSHOP IS TO CREATE A SHARED BASELINE OF UNDERSTANDING ABOUT WHITE SUPREMACY AND WHITE PRIVILEGE. AS WE HEARD IN THE OPENING TALK YESTERDAY FROM PROFESSOR CRENSHAW, THE FRAMEWORK, OR THE BASELINE FROM WHICH WE VIEW IDEAS OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND RACISM ARE VERY IMPORTANT. IN TERMS OF WHITE SUPREMACY SEVERAL IDEAS AND IMAGES MAY COME TO MIND WHEN WE THINK OF THESE TERMS. WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK OF WHEN YOU THINK OF WHITE SUPREMACY?

HERE’S A DEFINITION OF WHITE SUPREMACY WRITTEN BY LEGAL SCHOLAR FRANCES LEE ANSLEY: “A POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, AND CULTURAL SYSTEM IN WHICH WHITES OVERWHELMINGLY CONTROL POWER AND MATERIAL RESOURCES, CONSCIOUS AND UNCONSCIOUS IDEAS OF WHITE SUPERIORITY AND ENTITLEMENT ARE WIDESPREAD, AND RELATIONS OF WHITE DOMINANCE AND NON-WHITE SUBORDINATION ARE DAILY REENACTED ACROSS A BROAD ARRAY OF INSTITUTIONS AND SOCIAL SETTINGS.”

WITH THAT DEFINITION IN MIND, TAKE A MOMENT TO CONSIDER HOW WHITE SUPREMACY MANIFESTS IN PREDOMINANTLY WHITE INSTITUTIONS SUCH AS ACADEMIC LIBRARIES AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS LIBRARIES. (10 seconds)

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White privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack

“I was taught to see racism only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on my group”

Peggy McIntosh�

White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" �first appeared in Peace and Freedom Magazine, July/August 1989, published by Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Philadelphia, PA.

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What are some examples of white privilege and white supremacy in archives and libraries?

Areas to Consider:

Arrangement and Description
Access, Reference, and Instruction
Preservation
Appraisal
Library science & archival education
Perspectives: Library/archives workers, �researchers, donors, community members

Example:

As a white person, I can expect to easily find materials documenting my race’s history and culture in the archive.

Laurin:

SO I WANT YOU ALL TO TALK ABOUT WAYS WHITE PRIVILEGE AND SUPREMACY SHOW UP IN ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIES. THIS SLIDE HAS A FEW AREAS TO CONSIDER, SUCH AS ARRANGEMENT AND DESCRIPTION, ACCESS AND INSTRUCTION, ETC. KELLY AND I WILL BE ROAMING THE ROOM AND LISTENING IN. WE’RE GOING TO DO THIS FOR FIVE MINUTES.

[FIVE MINUTES DISCUSSION, AND THEN FIVE MINUTES FOR BRAINSTORMING SOLUTIONS]: WE HAVE FIVE MINUTES LEFT, NOW THAT YOU HAVE THOUGHT OF WAYS THAT WHITE SUPREMACY AND PRIVILEGE MANIFEST IN ARCHIVES, USE THE REMAINING TIME TO BRAINSTORM IDEAS ABOUT HOW TO ADDRESS ONE OF THE WAYS WHITE PRIVILEGE SHOWS UP IN ARCHIVES. THESE CAN BE SHORT TERM, MEDIUM TERM, AND LONG TERM GOALS. [CHOOSE ONE PROBLEM TO ADDRESS]

[WALK AROUND TO THE DIFFERENT GROUPS AND ASK THEM TO REPORT BACK, 10 MINUTES]

[30 minute mark]

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What does liberation look like?

The empty space in front of Duke Chapel that used to hold the statue of Robert E. Lee (removed in 2017).

Laurin?

SO, WE MOVED THROUGH ALL OF THAT PRETTY QUICKLY, AND OF COURSE IN THE LONGER WORKSHOP WE WOULD HAVE SPENT A LOT MORE TIME WITH THOSE TOPICS, INCLUDING TALKING ABOUT WHITE FRAGILITY, WHITE RESPONSIBILITY, AND DEFINITIONS OF RACISM. OUR GOAL FOR TODAY WAS TO MOVE INTO THINGS QUICKLY BY CREATING A SHARED UNDERSTANDING OF WHITE SUPREMACY AND PRIVILEGE AND THEN THINKING ABOUT HOW THOSE TERMS APPLY TO ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIES. WE ALSO WANTED TO LEAVE A LITTLE TIME TO THINK ABOUT THINGS IN A DIFFERENT WAY – TO NOT JUST THINK ABOUT THE PROBLEMS AND THE SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEMS, BUT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO CONSIDER WHAT IT IS WE REALLY WANT, WHAT WOULD BE THE IDEAL? ONE QUESTION THAT WE LIKE TO CONSIDER IS, “WHAT WOULD LIBERATION LOOK LIKE?” SO, PLEASE TAKE A MINUTE TO THINK ABOUT THIS QUESTION – IT’S OKAY IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START – THE FACT THAT YOU MAY NOT EVEN BE ABLE TO ENVISION WHAT LIBERATION WOULD LOOK LIKE IS SOMETHING TO NOTICE AND TO THINK ABOUT. SOME OF YOU MAY ALREADY HAVE A DETAILED VISION. WE WANT YOU TO START FROM WHEREVER YOU ARE. WE WON’T BE ASKING YOU TO SHARE OUT WITH THE GROUP. [TWO MINUTES]

DESCRIBE THE IMAGE

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What we did at the Rubenstein Library

Inspired by a workshop led by Michelle Caswell on Identifying and Dismantling White Supremacy in Archives at the Society of American Archivists annual meeting in Portland, OR, in 2017
Wholehearted support from Rubenstein Library Leadership Team was essential; all staff strongly encouraged (aka required) to attend
Facilitators from the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council (DivE-In) and other parts of the library were identified and trained

Kelly: During the 2017 Society of American Archivists conference, I attended a workshop led by Michelle Caswell and others on “Identifying and Dismantling White Supremacy in Archives.” Caswell’s article “Teaching to Dismantle White Supremacy in Archives” includes a description of the workshop which made it easy to share the idea with the RL Leadership Team, led by Naomi Nelson. Michelle Caswell graciously shared her slides and other information we could adapt for our own workshop with the support of the RL leadership team and in collaboration with DivE-In.

As part of the planning, a small group of people from other library departments and DivE-In met and used an approach to facilitating meetings from Seeds for Change as a basis for developing discussion guidelines. Facilitators from beyond RL were chosen to facilitate, and all members of RL staff were expected to attend. During the first workshop, we reviewed core concepts (defining white supremacy, white privilege, responsibility and fragility); collectively read “White privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Peggy McIntosh; generated statements of white privilege in archives and discussed action items for dismantling those privileges.

After the workshop, notes were transcribed and shared, with Leadership Team highlighting ideas for which there was a core of support. A staff-wide survey narrowed down the topics to discuss at the second workshop in the series. Topics included improving our customer service; Expanding publicity for events to reach new audiences; Making the diversity of perspectives within our collections more visible to the public in our public spaces and websites; and Making our exhibits and other spaces/programs more inclusive for people with disabilities.

After the second workshop, which further developed concrete ways to address diversity and inclusion in the Rubenstein Library, the Leadership Team decided which ideas and goals to pursue, as well as establishing deadlines and regularly communicating about them to move things forward.

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Positive Outcomes

Developing Facilitator Training
Inclusive Customer Service Training
Attention to accessibility across departments
Development of a Rubenstein Library Values Statement (“How We Work”)
Position funded to support culturally sensitive description of legacy collections

Open Door Policy in Action

Kelly:

These are a few examples of the tangible positive outcomes that followed the workshop. We felt like the process which included adopting some good facilitation guidelines based on an approach from Seeds for Change (linked in the resources later) was overall a good model for working on this issue.

Our research services staff developed an inclusive Customer Service training for all Rubenstein staff since everyone has a public services desk responsibility. This includes creating explicit ways to treat all researchers consistently without making assumptions about their experience level or prior knowledge based on appearance or credentials. We created gender neutral ways to direct visitors to the restrooms, referring to single and multi stall restrooms rather than by gender, which felt important to us in a state which has a transphobic bathroom bill.

The most immediate and visible outcome was a small but meaningful change: our Open Door policy as pictured here. Our renovated building has lots of heavy doors that are challenging to open as well as visually and symbolically imposing. Propping our front door open allows visitors to physically enter with ease as well as being less of a metaphorical barrier. We also secured funding to install an automatic door opener for the heavy glass door into the reading room.

This workshop lead the Leadership Team to charge a working group with developing an aspirational values statement to articulate how we want to approach our work, which includes statements like “We will strive to reflect the diversity of our faculty, students, donors, and researchers through our staffing, collecting, and public engagement. ....We will take time for self-reflection and evaluation, individually and together, to consider ways to improve past practices.” Before we could post it on our website however, President Price announced the development of a campus-wide values statement, so leadership decided to wait before sharing publicly.

[KELLY] Leah:

Another positive outcome was finding funding to have Leah Kerr continue her work after her initial appointment in a term limited project position. Going forward she will be working to improve and update organization and description for some of our legacy and under-described collections to highlight content related to under-represented populations.

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Challenges

Race is hard.
Facilitation is hard.

Issues of hierarchy in discussion groups.

Change is slow and incremental.
Accessibility became the focus.

Kelly

Race is hard. (but we can still keep talking about it)

Having direct and honest conversations about the role of race and racism in the workplace is politically charged. Questioning the basis of the entire profession in general and your institution in particular is not a comfortable conversation to have, but it is necessary. This work can be scary for real reasons. The first critical conversation we had at Duke Libraries was sparked by the violence at the white extremist rally in Charlottesville, VA. The first conversations we had before DivE-In was created were about ways to help queer and gender-nonconforming people feel safe to use the restroom in the library after NC passed the anti-trans bathroom bill. Michelle Caswell was personally and professionally targeted by conservative media after the SAA workshop I mentioned.

Facilitation is hard. (but we can get better at it)

Creating shared understandings of how to moderate, keep time, monitor feelings and who is having the most air time, is challenging. We assume everyone can lead meetings and discussions, but we know from experience this isn’t true. In fact one of the longer term outcomes of our process had focused on communications and I helped plan a lead a workshop on email and meeting culture to break down some of the basics of leading good meetings, including sharing agendas and closing with action items.

Issues of hierarchy in discussion groups. (power dynamics are real!)

Change is slow and incremental. (but persistence pays off)

It is hard to be patient in this work.

Start small-- work on facilitation training within smaller groups, explore these topics within your department or with a peer group, share articles and readings with your department for discussion, suggest webinars or other external learning opportunities, look to other library colleagues and examples that your leadership might admire and would want to emulate. Adrienne Maree Brown’s book Emergent Strategy has been a source of inspiration

Accessibility became the focus. (Not necessarily a bad thing)

Use Accessibility as an entry point-- hard to argue that you don’t want your institution to be open and accessible to all users. Use a broader definition of accessibility to incorporate inclusive practices. Using accessibility gave us the opportunity to infiltrate more broadly with people and departments that had been resistant to the work.

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Bringing it Back Home (yes, you can do it)

[LAURIN]

Leah - Using this tool to Dismantle White Supremacy in your own institution!

At the end of this presentation we will provide you with resources that lay out exactly how to do this workshop at your own institution.

As we pointed out, we had some visible, forward moving outcomes from this work. Please be encouraged by that, and take this work back to your own institutions.

Keys to success at your institution will probably include buy in from your leadership.

As we discovered with our diversity and inclusion group, we could push/request/suggest monumental changes, but the university library might move incredibly slowly. [KEEP PUSHING] Also, you never know, sometimes change can happen really fast.

You may also want to hold facilitator training workshops, as we did. This will provide staff with the tools for diffusing a negative situation and resolve conflicts positively. Leadership should find this a valuable skill, and support these efforts.

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[LAURIN] Leah

Understand the needs of the stakeholders -- this could be leadership teams, diversity groups, department heads -- and try to get their involvement. Staff, students, users, faculty, patrons, researchers may also be your stakeholders.

But there will be dissenting opinions, won’t have support from everyone.

Be sure to adapt for your institution - are there specific issues triggering the session? [TALK ABOUT THESE ISSUES AND FOLD THEM INTO THE WORKSHOP]

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Leah

When you do the workshop, give people the opportunity to share out their thoughts beyond their small groups. This is important for participants to know they’ve been heard.

Then Share out further to your stakeholders. Follow up and report back to them with actionable suggestions. Let them know that other departments or similar institutions are grappling with similar issues.

Use the opportunity to give suggestions for change, and not just negative feedback.

Once you’ve completed the workshop, it doesn’t mean that white supremacy is over. People have been working on these issues for a very long time. The good news is that you aren’t alone. The bad news is that the resistance is real. Hang in there, and keep coming back to these issues. Try to set short term achievable goals and also ambitious long term goals and don’t give up.

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Resources

Michelle Caswell’s “Teaching to Dismantle White Supremacy in Archives” published in The Library Quarterly 2017 87:3, 222-235

Michelle Caswell’s “Dismantling White Supremacy in Archives Workshop Exercise” (PDF available via http://www.archivistsagainst.org)

Peggy McIntosh’s list of white privileges: https://www.racialequitytools.org

Seeds for Change Facilitation guide: https://www.seedsforchange.org.uk

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Duke University Libraries (DivE-In): �https://library.duke.edu/about/diversity

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Questions for us?

Leah Kerr: leah.kerr@duke.edu

�Kelly Wooten: kelly.wooten@duke.edu� Twitter: @kellywooten

Laurin Penland: laurin.penland@duke.edu

Slides: http://bit.ly/DWS-IDEAL�Zines: http://bit.ly/DWS-minizine (2-sided 8.5x11)

http://bit.ly/DWS-largeprint (11x17)

Attribution-NonCommercial-�ShareAlike 4.0 International