February 2022

 Hello from ILA’s Committee for Diversity and Inclusion!

Every month our committee sends out a list of resources focused on topics of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice. We’re a couple days late as March kind of came out of nowhere!

• Art Spiegelman on the School Board That Cancelled ‘Maus’ 1

• How Tiny Living Spaces Affect Our Wellbeing—Individually and Societally (Libraries are not mentioned directly, but it’s interesting to think about in the context that libraries often help to supplement lack of home space for many people)

• ALA’s Committee on Diversity Announces Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Scorecard for Library and Information Organizations

• Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion (DEI) Scorecard for Library and Information Organizations 1

• Cultural Humility & Program Planning

April 2022 Social Justice Discussion Group - Climate/Environmental Justice

This coming month, we’ll be reading, watching, and listening to resources about Climate and Environmental Justice. Please explore these resources with us and join us for a discussion or two. Discussions will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, April 6 at 10:00 am and Monday, April 11 at 2:00 pm (Meeting ID: 864 3832 3094, Passcode: 427944).

We would love it if you joined us for either or both discussions. The level of participation is up to you; you may actively contribute or just listen and learn.

• Environmental Racism and Environmental Justice in the US
• The Principles of Environmental Justice
• Earth Day 2021: Environmental Justice: Books & Web Sites
• Environmental Justice at the EPA
• The Environmental Justice Movement
• U.S. Department of Health & Human Services - Environmental Justice
• NAACP - ENVIRONMENTAL & CLIMATE JUSTICE
• Air Pollution Deaths - How humans could live two years longer
• ‘Waste colonialism’: world grapples with west’s unwanted plastic
• The father of environmental justice, on whether we’re all doomed
• Study Finds Racial Gap Between Who Causes Air Pollution and Who Breathes It
• Iowa DNR is testing more than 50 public water systems for ‘forever chemicals’ but no plans for private wells
• 76% of Iowa children have detectable lead levels in their blood, study finds. Older housing is a big reason why.
• LaToya Ruby Frazier: What Is the Human Cost of Toxic Water and Environmental Racism?
• When Disaster Strikes

If at any time you have resources that fall under the diversity and inclusion umbrella and that you feel might be helpful or interesting for library staff across Iowa, please send them my way and I will work with the committee to include them in our Resource Roundup or to otherwise share them out as appropriate.

On behalf of ILA CD&I,

Amanda Bellis
Chair, ILA Committee for Diversity and Inclusion
abellis@ankenyiowa.gov