Joint Conference of Librarians of Color Packs the House
-- Library Journal, 10/19/2006
An eight-year-old dream became reality in Dallas last weekend, as the first Joint Conference of Librarians of Color (JCLC) drew over 1000 attendees from the five sponsoring associations and beyond, breaking expectations—not to mention the print run of the final program. Referred to repeatedly as a "historic" gathering—and that sense was prevalent—the meeting was sponsored by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA), American Indian Library Association (AILA), Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA), Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA), and National Association To Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking (REFORMA).
More than three days of programming—on issues such as diversity in the workplace, recruitment and retention, spurring multicultural leadership, multicultural programs and materials, and equity of access—encouraged a commingling of attendees' ideas, experiences, and expertise. Several high-profile speakers roused the crowd with moving, often political, speeches. Unlike many conference presentations, these seemed particularly attuned to libraries. They included authors Loung Ung (First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers, HarperCollins), Mayra Montero (Son de Almendra, Alfaquara; Dancing to Almendra, Farrar) , the wildly popular Bertice Berry (When Love Calls, You Better Answer, Random), and others. NPR's Juan Williams keynoted. Jumping off from his forthcoming book, Enough: The Phony Leaders, Dead-End Movements, and Culture of Failure That Are Undermining Black America and What We Can Do About It (Random), Williams told his receptive audience that "this conference represents the triumph of the Civil Rights Movement" and encouraged the attendees to remember the strength they have together to address needed social change. "It's your role to stand up and say that schools matter, that libraries matter," he said. "You now have this coalition available, so use it, use it, use it."
