For Immediate Release
Friday, August, 18, 2017
CONTACT:
Melissa Cardenas-Dow
Chair, Task Force on Intersectionality
Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association
(909) 793-2030
melissa.cardenasdow@gmail.com
APALA releases statement expressing grief, deploring recent violence and expressions of White supremacy in Charlottesville, Virginia
The Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) extends its deepest sympathies to the friends and families of those who perished and were injured during the violent White supremacist riot in Charlottesville, Virginia. APALA sees the racist riot in Charlottesville as the most recent example of domestic terrorism aimed directly at marginalized communities within the United States. We strongly condemn these violent events and expressions of racism and White supremacy.
APALA is an organization committed to “advancing social justice and providing opportunities for dialogue and networking to promote the needs of Asian/Pacific American [APA] professionals and those who serve APA communities.” As such, we affirm our core values of “leadership, social justice, diversity, advocacy, community and collaboration within the framework of librarianship generally, and Asian Pacific American librarianship” by supporting our members and our communities, especially during times of immense unrest and strife, such as the aftermath of the violence displayed in Charlottesville, Virginia. We strongly uphold that we must continue to stand together, unflinchingly and with great steadfastness, in solidarity and action.
Asian/Pacific Americans in the United States have a long, proud history of fighting against racism, discrimination, and racially motivated violence. We look to our shared past for strength and resolve. APALA supports our members and continues to provide means for them to speak out against the continuing discrimination faced by our communities and those with whom we stand in solidarity. We do not tolerate any messages of hate and we encourage our members to work together and collaborate with others to uphold our professional values.
As an organizational affiliate of the American Library Association (ALA), APALA joins with ALA President Jim Neal in condemning the overt racism and violence in Charlottesville. Along with other ALA ethnic affiliates, we reaffirm APALA’s commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. We emphatically support ALA’s own commitment and its continuing efforts to ensure librarians, libraries, and the information professions all continue their critical engagement on important social, community issues through resources and programs such as Libraries Respond. We heartily commend such efforts.
###
Founded in 1980, the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. All donations to APALA are tax deductible and support our work for library services, programs, scholarships, awards, and grants related to library services benefiting Asian/Pacific Americans and Asian/Pacific American librarians.