We are now accepting speaker and panel proposals for the American Library Association's Social Responsibilities Round Table (SRRT) "Abolitionist Visions and Intersections: Centering Human Relationships and Building Institutional Connections for Social Justice" on March 19, 2024, via Zoom. https://www.ala.org/rt/srrt/events/abolitionist-visions-intersections
This conference places abolitionism as philosophy and practice in conversation with libraries and the broader community services and human resources landscape of which they are a part. The event is inspired by SRRT's broader effort to encourage expansive, provocative, cross-disciplinary conversations that center intersectional issues and struggles. It is free and open to the public.
We invite provocative and engaging explorations of the convergences, tensions, and disjunctions between abolitionism and library work as well as the many other areas of action, engagement, and inquiry that abolitionism touches on. Potential topics include arts programming, literacy, and educational opportunities in prisons; policing and public safety; prison and jail libraries; racism and mass incarceration; parole, probation, and reentry; youth justice; information access and censorship in carceral settings; inside organizing; and more-Please visit the event page for more suggestions.
We expect that many presentations will discuss the work of libraries and librarians, but we also hope that, in the vein of knowledge justice (i.e., What counts as knowledge? Who defines knowledge and how it is expressed, used, and understood? Whose knowledge is valued, uplifted, and preserved?), we spotlight issues, experiences, and voices that deepen our understanding of how information is of use and put to use in carceral settings, as seen through the lens and in the voices of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people themselves. All non-ALA members will be compensated for speaking at the event.
The following website provides a detailed description of conference scope, call for papers, suggested topics, and link to the speaker/panel submission form: https://www.ala.org/rt/srrt/events/abolitionist-visions-intersections. Submissions are due February 15, 2024. The call is open to all - Speakers do not need to be ALA members or librarians to apply. Event registration will open later this month. Please reach out to Rachel Rosekind for more information: rosekindness@gmail.com. And please share within your networks of interest.
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Rachel Rosekind
Educator, Editor, Writer, Activist, Library Commissioner
Write You Are / Contra Costa Library Commission
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