As noted in the Society of American Archivists' June 2 Statement on Black Lives and Archives, the vitality of American archives depends on the safety of archives workers and an explicit commitment to social responsibility, justice, and anti-racism in the work that we do and the organizations we work within.
On Friday, June 12, the SAA Council convened a forum of reflection to move toward healing and understanding on the continuation of anti-Black violence and provide an affirmation of the importance of Black lives.
Thank you to the more than 900 attendees who joined us for this reflection. A recording of the event is now available for all to view and share.
Moderated by Dr. Meredith R. Evans, Director of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta and 74th President of the Society of American Archivists.
Speakers:
Zakiya Collier, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library
Dorothy Berry, Houghton Library, Harvard University
Courtney Chartier, Rose Library, Emory University
Erin Lawrimore, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Closing remarks by SAA Vice President/President-Elect Rachel Vagts, Denver Public Library.
The magnitude of support and interest from the archival profession toward the development of tools and resources to dismantle structural racism in our work is inspiring and powerful. We will also be hosting a facilitated planning forum to gather constructive feedback and develop anti-racist goals in July 2020. We look forward to continuing this work with you.
------------------------------
SAA Headquarters
Society of American Archivists
Chicago IL
saahq@archivists.org------------------------------