I think there is a critical misunderstanding about the purpose of combating hate "especially in white communities". It is not about blame and guilt - it's about learning and coming to fair terms with the ugly, brutal history of slavery and the current manifestations of racism. As a white person, I'm not looking to combat hate because I feel individually guilty or to blame (though others may judge me any way they wish) - I want every member of our society to really understand and find a way to reconcile with a history of racism that we have obviously not been willing to do as a nation. I offer these comments in a spirit of moving the discussion beyond individual resentments and toward a much bigger picture. We can't afford to wait until a cross is burning in a community to address this. We can offer kind and compassionate paths in a dialogue that is long overdue. I appreciate that these resources are available ________________________________ From: michlib-l-bounces@mcls.org <michlib-l-bounces@mcls.org> on behalf of Hope Nobel <lvwdirector@llcoop.org> Sent: Monday, August 21, 2017 10:19:46 AM To: kruley@uproc.lib.mi.us; michlib-l@mcls.org Subject: Re: [Michlib-l] Fw: Combatting Hate Via Your Library Karyn - Thank you for taking the time to express your views. I agree that the YALSA statement makes an offensive assumption, and that this type of reverse prejudice is harmful. All we can do as libraries is promote understanding, kindness, and open dialogue wherever possible. And really, that's quite a lot, isn't it?!? Happy eclipse day, everyone! Hope E. Nobel, M.S.L.S. Director Tamarack District Library P. O. Box 469 832 South Lincoln Avenue Lakeview, MI 48850 989.352.6274 -----Original Message----- From: michlib-l-bounces@mcls.org [mailto:michlib-l-bounces@mcls.org] On Behalf Of Karyn Ruley Sent: Sunday, August 20, 2017 2:16 PM To: michlib-l@mcls.org Subject: Re: [Michlib-l] Fw: Combatting Hate Via Your Library "As a reminder, YALSA has resources to help you support youth, especially those who may be feeling the brunt of current events. In addition, YALSA has resources to help you promote empathy and understanding among teens, especially those in predominantly white communities who need to build global citizenship skills to be successful adults in the 21st century." I find it incredibly offensive that it is assumed that those in "predominantly white communities" would "especially" need more help in building "global citizenship skills". While there are, and always will be, problems with prejudice in this world, many problems these days are made up, overblown, or attributed only to those with light colored skin. Racism and prejudice are ugly but go BOTH ways, or ALL ways. And it is JUST as ugly to assume someone has these prejudices. The blame needs to stop, the guilt needs to stop, and we need to stop dividing ourselves by making things more of an issue than they are. We will never achieve colorblindness when we keep bringing up color. If this is an ACTUAL issue in your particular community, then by all means, have a discussion. But that is an individual community issue, not something all libraries need to be involved in, if libraries need to be involved in them at all. I do not need organizations like YALSA to teach me how to think. I am becoming increasingly frustrated with this and other library organizations like the ALA and their obvious left leaning political agendas. Karyn Ruley Crawford County Library 201 Plum St. Grayling, MI 49738 Phone: 989-348-9214 Fax: 989-348-9294 _______________________________________________ Michlib-l mailing list Michlib-l@mcls.org http://mail2.mcls.org/mailman/listinfo/michlib-l _______________________________________________ Michlib-l mailing list Michlib-l@mcls.org http://mail2.mcls.org/mailman/listinfo/michlib-l