If the topics and speakers for the upcoming Alaska Library Association Conference are any indication, local librarians are being strategically trained and recruited to advance a litany of hard-left cultural and political aims.
The Alaska Library Association is a statewide nonprofit professional group that advocates for school and community libraries around the state. In recent years, however, this advocacy has taken a decidedly leftist turn – a trend seen in libraries across the nation.
The annual Alaska conference, set for March 18-20, is a virtual gathering that features “provocative speakers” and more than 50 events and presentations. Many of these deal with white privilege, systemic racism, “diversity audits,” and encouraging teens to talk about their sexual identities and orientations.
One of the conference’s featured speakers is New York activist, Mahogany L Browne. She authored “Woke Baby” and founded the Woke Baby Book Fair, which initiates toddlers and young children into the world of identity politics and progressive activism.
A breakout session teaches librarians how to conduct “diversity audits” to ensure that their collections contain an adequate number of books about gender identity, racism, anti-colonialism and alternative views of American history. Another session focuses on how to diversify, expand and promote romance collections that reflect modern sensibilities about gender identity and sexual orientation.
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Another talk helps local librarians establish environments for teens to discuss sex, gender identity, equality and equity.
The conference features a panel discussion of librarians who will share their experiences with Project READY in which they were trained in anti-racist theory, a concept that proports to see racism in subconscious thoughts, traditional American values and even mathematics.
Another panel discussion looks at how librarians can increase their “BIPOC representation” in books, descriptions and employment. BIPOC, which means “black, indigenous and people of color,” is a term that gained popularity last year with the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. The national BIPOC Project was co-founded by Fiona Kanagasingam who describes herself as a “queer, cis woman.” Her group’s website claims that America is “firmly entrenched in maintaining white supremacy, patriarchy and capitalism.” It also claims that “People of color have always understood the need for our own spaces without white people present, for our own safety and healing.” The group’s website adds that BIPOC communities should intentionally “disrupt calls for ‘unity’” when they fail to advance the group’s economic, social and cultural agendas.
The Alaska library conference is set to end on March 20 with a call for librarians to become civic agents for change by facilitating “inclusive voter registration” that combats what organizers call a “restrictive voting process.”
14 Comments
What, there’s a Woke baby book out. But we can’t have Dr Seuss books
How Wrong is this.
The Bible speaks of all people, God created red, yellow, black and white.
Woke bull, Get over it people. Love all people red, yellow, black and white
Stop the Madness
You can still have Dr. Seuss! The Dr. Suess books the copyright holders decided to quit publishing (they aren’t banning any that are already out there), are: “McElligot’s Pool,” “On Beyond Zebra!,” “Scrambled Eggs Super!,”, “The Cat’s Quizzer”, “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street” and “If I Ran the Zoo”. I don’t know about you, but I never read any of those Dr. Suess books before. This article makes it sound like the conference is radical leftist event, but there are over 50 sessions for Alaskan librarians to choose from, including sessions on creating user friendly library websites, getting the most from Zoom and YouTube, tips for getting grants for communities libraries, etc.
Thanks Mary! I guess you are ok with Dr. Seuss getting banned even though the soft-core Grammy Awards is considered family entertainment?
Fantastic article! Librarians are a group of hardworking people who love to provide everyone in the community with the information they want and need. I hope it’s a success for them.
I suppose if that is what people want, but likely most don’t, and there in lies the proverbial rub. The forcing of people to ‘accept’ ideologies they are not interested in.
Exactly, Elizabeth.
I agree Jes! I hope their radical political indoctrination goes down well. I just hope no one gets fired by one of these tolerant and inclusive people.
Oh dear I just never thought a Monday could be so entertaining. Today we are guided by the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of mental disorders) for all psychological evaluation, but back during my college days it was the DSM-3, and back then, these people would clearly be diagnosed with some form of delusional disorder. How far we have come in normalizing detachment from reality and accepting serious dysfunction as normal. Sad and chilling. Likely my post is offense so don’t expect to pass posting muster. Sorry, the emperor is clearly naked.
I used to be a frequent visitor to the local libraries, but since they started this “woke” nonsense, I no longer go. I’ll find my information and books online to access or buy. Everything the left touches it corrupts. Everything.
What an open mind. Enjoy your dimwits’ echo chamber.
So Leo, how open minded and tolerant is it to get people fired from their jobs because they don’t believe the same as you?
I’ll wait.
When did I get anyone fired from a job? Stop your witch hunts, nutcase. You’re the very thing you’re complaining about.
Yes, the leftists bring turmoil to us. This Woke movement is another name for Marxism. If this movement within the librarians were honest then they could never get away with drag queens reading to children. That is not what this country is about. This country was founded on moral values and not anything goes. Also, the parents and taxpayers not the librarians or teachers determine what books, etc are ordered. The librarians have taken this power that is not theirs. They are supposed to serve each community and not indoctrinate away from the Western Civ values.
It’s amazing when you dimwits equate bland center-left politics with revolutionary marxism. I can’t wait for it — one day you’re really going to have a heart attack.