[Michlib-l] Fw: Combatting Hate Via Your Library

[Knox,Sheryl Cormicle]

May I just offer a different interpretation of the phrase "especially those in predominantly white communities who need to build global citizenship skills"?

I didn't interpret that as blame or a guilt trip for homogenous white communities, but rather an intriguing opportunity to learn a skill that is hard to learn in a homogenous community--how to connect with and form friendships with people not like yourself.

It's one thing to read about diverse cultural experiences and quite another to experience them. Experiencing diversity, building deep friendships, and having meaningful conversations with people whose life journeys differ from mine did not happen for me until I left my hometown, a homogenous community just east of Flint, MI. It accelerated for me when I joined an intentionally diverse faith community later in life. I did not realize it at the time, but growing up in that cocoon, while supportive in most ways, was limiting in others.

What a wonderful gift for young people to nurture skills that help them reach beyond the familiar.

--Sheryl Cormicle Knox
Just representing myself, not my employer

-----Original Message-----
From: michlib-l-bounces at mcls.org [mailto:michlib-l-bounces at mcls.org] On Behalf Of Karyn Ruley
Sent: Sunday, August 20, 2017 2:16 PM
To: michlib-l at 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

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