To All:
As Co-Chair of the ARLIS/NA Diversity committee I want to respond to a
few of the comments on ethnic diversity that came across my screen
yesterday. I think that many do not know that I am an enrolled member
of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe at Leech Lake Indian Reservation. I
happen to be the Native American woman who received one of the Travel
Awards given at the ARLIS/NA Welcome Party in St. Louis. I am the Fine
Arts and Humanities Librarian at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
My guess, Miguel, is that many members apply for the travel awards and
persistence may be a virtue in achieving one. As for me, I am honored
to be one of the recipients of color who received a travel award this
year! It is my hope that the awards were given on merit/achievement
and not particularly upon the fact that I happen to be Native American,
a person of color.
As for the comments about committee chairs appointing their committee.
Dan Starr sent each Chair a list of members who had signed up for
committees on their membership renewal forms. There was only one
person who had signed up for the Diversity Committee and that was Luci
Stylianopoulos, the new Co-Chair for the ARLIS/NA Diversity committee.
So, after communicating with Ted Goodman, Dan Starr, and my Board
Laision Norine Duncan, I decided to send out a call on ARLIS-L for
members who might be interested in the Diversity committee. I had some
good responses, ALL whom I asked to join the Diversity commitee and I
also have returning members on the committee. My point here being that
being comfortable with people or who are like me or look like me is NOT
important. What is important is that the individual be interested in
what the committee is concerned about. I do not believe that this
appointment process stifles the committee or produces biases. It is my
hope that the ARLIS/NA Diversity committee is a group of people who are
interested in diversity issues and for the overall benefit of the
society as a whole.
As for what the Diversity committee hopes to do this coming year.
ARLIS/NA is your organization. What do you want this committee to do
for you? We value your input. If you have ideas, send them to me and
to Luci. We have sponsored panel sessions on diversity issues in the
past and are working on two proposed sessions for Baltimore. We have a
webpage that will continue to support diversity among our members or
anyone who accesses our webpage. Again, I say to each of you, let us
know what you want the Diversity committee to do this year. We welcome
all of your ideas, be they great or small.
I thank you. Marilyn Russell-Bogle, ARLIS/NA Diveristy Committee
Co-Chair
Marilyn Russell-Bogle
Fine Arts and Humanities Librarian
Assistant Professor in American Indian Studies/Art
University of Minnesota Duluth
Phone 218-726-7880
WebPage: http://www.d.umn.edu/~mrussell/
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