LibGuides: Anti-racism resources: Whiteness in higher education

Whiteness in libraries and higher education

The collaborators (authors) of this guide occupy intersectional identities, some historically oppressed (e.g., women, LGBT), but not all of the racialized identities identified here. We attempt to collect and organize high-quality resources but cannot fully avoid the limitations of our perspectives as persons who embody white privilege. We still have a great deal to learn.

The collaborators acknowledge explicitly that libraries (e.g., Santamaria, 2020) and the field of library and information science have historically perpetuated and presently continue to perpetuate status quo white supremacy in a variety of ways and contexts, including but not limited to the areas listed below.

"Systemic oppression requires systemic change" 2021 academic conference presentation

This presentation is an excellent starting point for exploring the ways that libraries (and higher education more generally) have created and continue to perpetuate systems and structures of oppression:

Full presentation (43 min 59 sec)

Recruitment and retention

Hiring and retention practices have resulted in underrepresentation of minoritized individuals in libraries and higher education (e.g., Cunningham, Guss, and Stout, 2019). (See also demographics below.) Scholars have examined the unwelcoming work settings that exist for those minoritized individuals who are present (described in, e.g., Alabi, 2015; Damasco & Hodges, 2012; Hathcock, 2015; Honma, 2005 and Kendrick & Damasco, 2019).

Demographics of library workers:

[source]

Demographics of postsecondary educators:

[source]

Immigrant Assimilation

Immigrant assimilation and literacy promotion programs are rooted in whiteness (e.g., in de jesus, 2014; Honma, 2005; Jones, 1999; Schlesselman-Tarango, 2016).

While libraries have long been touted as open and accessible institutions, the founding principles of the earliest U.S. public libraries “speak to a common hegemonic U.S. rhetoric of white ethnic assimilation and meritocratic advancement” (Honma, 2005)

Library Collections/Services

Library collections/services have not reflected the full diversity of the human experience (e.g., Overall, 2009; Vega Garcia, 2000).

Library Spaces

Libraries and other academic spaces have traditionally alienated persons of color (e.g., Brook, F., Ellenwood, D., & Lazzaro, A., 2015; Maynard, 2012).

“Ralph Adams Cram, the [Princeton University’s] chief architect, and Woodrow Wilson, its [onetime] president, explicitly inscribed racial messages into the buildings that they constructed. When describing Princeton’s campus and his plan for continuing to use the gothic style, Cram used phrases like ‘racial’ and ‘logical’ to express an ‘inextinguishable race-memory’ that represented ‘nationality, for ethnic continuity and for the impulses of Christian civilization’ (Maynard, 2012)

Looking for a deeper dive?

Disrupting Whiteness in Libraries: A detailed list of resources on a range of topics related to structural and systemic racism in higher education and the wider world. (Compiled and maintained by Karla Strand, University of Wisconsin).

Systemic Oppression Requires Systemic Change: Presentation at 2021 conference of the Association of College & Research Libraries. (43 minutes, 59 seconds)

What's missing from this page?

If would like to suggest resources for this page/guide, please contact John Oliver (oliverj AT tcnj DOT edu).

Acknowledgments

This page has been deeply influenced by readings and other activities from courses offered by Library Juice Academy: Allyship, Anti-Oppression Practices, and Building Inclusive Libraries; Cultural Competence for Librarians; Examining Institutional Racism in Libraries; Recruiting and Retaining Librarians from Underrepresented Minoritized Groups. Thank you to the instructors who have taught these courses when this guide's authors completed them: CJ Ivory, Angela Pashia, and Shaundra Walker.
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