kynita stringer-stanback: Blaq (Black & Queer) in the Library, Part II
by: kynita stringer-stanback
kynita stringer-stanback (pronouns: Blaq*) is an information activist.
*kynita’s pronouns embody Blackness & Queerness simultaneously.
So it is better to speak
remembering
we were never meant to survive
Lorde, Audre. (1995). The black unicorn: Poems. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Photo by Henry Ravenscroft on Unsplash
We are expected to feel safe within regimes of power we had no autonomy in shaping, forming, or implementing. As BIPOC--and specifically gender non-conforming BIPOC--our society tells us that we don’t matter. The trans actors, directors and producers have been snubbed, yet again for Emmy nominations. Billy Porter discusses Mj Rodriguez’s impact on the television show Pose and how the industry lacks the capacity to adjudicate talent that did not come through their vetted channels of studios, universities, and art schools. Yet and still we continue to see that across industries, the leaders at the jobs we have do not see us. They do not acknowledge our talents, our gifts, our contributions, our impact, our legitimacy, and our power.
“Yet and still we continue to see that across industries, the leaders at the jobs we have do not see us. They do not acknowledge our talents, our gifts, our contributions, our impact, our legitimacy, and our power.”
When we rail against our dehumanization--by reporting to human resources in our workplaces, or seek help from the agencies within our organizations--the hostility against us increases. Amplifying our voices to articulate our humanity usually will not be met with support and appreciation from the institutions we seek to transform. However, our articulation of our humanity and desire for transformation may inspire someone else--it may cause a small ripple that moves folks to demand what it is they deserve.
Photo by Ian Kiragu on Unsplash
Do you feel safe going to work? The Concerned Black Workers at the Free Library of Philadelphia penned an open letter railing against discriminatory pay and practices that eventually led to the resignation of the FLP Executive Director. They stated that they did not feel safe and collectively decided to speak out. Our voices have power. Our efforts transform. Collectively our voices articulate new landscapes for our humanity to flourish.
“Our voices have power. Our efforts transform. Collectively our voices articulate new landscapes for our humanity to flourish.”
This summer I have had the distinct pleasure to attend both the Denver Public Library’s Workplace Equity Symposium, and the Allied Media Conference. Recently, I have had the distinct honor to discuss, dream, envision, and give breath to futures with some of the brightest minds of activists, information professionals, artists, storytellers, poets, musicians, creators, journalists, archive and museum professionals in the game. Radical Libraries, Archives and Museums (RadLAM) is dope a.f.! It was amazing to have Nathaniel Moore walk us through abolishing the carceral state in our minds! Decolonization discussions and training were led by First Nation and Indigenous folx. Yes, I said it! The people with power and privilege who control the possession of artifacts and remains that were stolen, can not and should not lead discussions on decolonization. Those with power and privilege can talk about how to give the First Nations and Indigenous people their materials back and how to examine and eradicate white supremacist hegemony from within institutions and systems.
What both of these experiences have taught me, or better yet, reaffirmed for me, is that we work in an industry that is extremely homogeneous. Within that homogeneity there is a minefield of hostility toward difference. Many of us are suffering as the only person of color in our departments. In my case, I am the only BIPOC LGBTQ gender non-conforming person in the entire organization!
Movements toward liberation are led by BIPOC women. In our blessed generation, many of them identify as LGBTQ. Patrice Cullors, Alicia Garza, the founders of Black Lives Matter, identify as LGBTQ. We understand that we matter. We are clear that we are valuable and worthy. We know our history. We are in awe of our potential. Speaking out and standing up is not without sacrifice. We may be suspended, we may be laid-off, we may be furloughed, and at times we may even lose our jobs completely.
Photo by Eye for Ebony on Unsplash
What we can know is that we are here. In fact, We Here is another platform that is a reputable training place and space for BIPOC Library and Archive professionals. These and similar safer spaces, WOC + Lib, We Here, and RadLAM, are collectively giving us places to decompress and authentically speak freely about our experiences. We can learn from the folks at Denver Public Library about how to approach an exploration of institutional and structural inequity. They show us the work and commitment it takes to address these issues while also acknowledging that a path forward must be forged by those who have experienced the inequity themselves. We can learn from the Concerned Black Workers at the Free Library of Philadelphia who said, ¡YA BASTA! (Enough is Enough!) We collectively saw how their voices led to widespread, organizational change.
“From WOC + Lib we learn that creating a platform for our voices is necessary, timely and inspirational. We Here teaches us that collective organizing can lead to a platform where we teach professional development classes about issues that concern us. We can reach out to one another for mentorship.”
From WOC + Lib we learn that creating a platform for our voices is necessary, timely and inspirational. We Here teaches us that collective organizing can lead to a platform where we teach professional development classes about issues that concern us. We can reach out to one another for mentorship. RadLAM is teaching us how to look out for one another and support one another during difficult times. All of these initiatives teach us that we must collaborate and create safe spaces to dream, envision and execute new landscapes within libraries, archives, museums, and other heritage preservation organizations.
“We CAN re-imagine and redesign the role of cultural preservationists in our society. We can, will and must create processes and cultural centers to house our knowledge, artifacts, and information that honor the traditions and practices of the communities we seek to magnify. We can protect our own stories and amplify our experiences.”
The common thread among them all is the significance of thinking outside of the box, creating and sustaining community, and showing us how to achieve our potential. FIND YOUR PEOPLE. It has taken over two decades for me to find the people and professional organizations that just feel right. The politics, the solidarity, the community, the feelings of familiarity, of safety, of validation.. We deserve to be heard. We deserve a safe space to vent. We deserve to make a living wage. We deserve safe working environments. No one should be afraid to go to work. Hopefully, we will continue to find ways to connect and build momentum to transform the culture of homogeneity endemic to our industry together. We CAN re-imagine and redesign the role of cultural preservationists in our society. We can, will and must create processes and cultural centers to house our knowledge, artifacts, and information that honor the traditions and practices of the communities we seek to magnify. We can protect our own stories and amplify our experiences.
© kynita stringer-stanback