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Black Lives Matter: Antiracist Resources: The College Library's Statement

This guide is a starting place for those interested in pursuing antiracist work. It is not meant to be a comprehensive list of all antiracist resources and texts, and we encourage you to continue your own research and work in this area. This is only part of the library's plan to actively engage in antiracist work at Bronx Community College. For more, please refer to our statement below.

If there is a title, resource, talk, or something else that you feel should be on this guide, please reach out to Nicole Williams, Open Resource Librarian, at nicole.williams03@bcc.cuny.edu.

Many of the resources on this guide have come from other guides, which you can check out in full here: 

Like this guide? Feel free to reuse and remix it all or in part, with attribution per a CC BY-NC license. 

A Statement of Support and Actions

Dear Bronx Community College Bronco family,

 

Black Lives Matter! We, the members of the Bronx Community College Library stand together with the #BlackLivesMatter movement calling for immediate, collective action to end the systemic racism and inequity that pervade our communities.

 

We stand with the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) in condemning violence and racism toward Black people and all People of Color.

 

Bronx Community College Librarians and Staff come from diverse racial and cultural heritage. We stand in solidarity with our community members. We speak with one voice in opposing racism, violence and social injustice. 

 

The death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police officers is part of the long history of violence and anti-Blackness against Black people in the United States at the hands of law enforcement. Sean Bell, Amadou Diallo, Alberta Spruill, Eric Garner, and Kalief Browder are New Yorkers whose deaths resulted from interactions with law enforcement in New York City.

 

Browder, a former student at Bronx Community College, was a victim of the criminal justice system. He endured physical, mental, and emotional abuse during the three years in prison, maintaining his innocence. The trauma led him to commit suicide on June 6, 2015—five years ago. Browder’s story is so impactful that the documentary, The Kalief Browder Story, was produced. In addition, Bronx Community College established The Kalief Browder Memorial Scholarship.

 

The Bronx Community College Library stands alongside those who work to better our society and to create a place where the wounds that divide can be mended, even in small ways. The BCC Library offers resources to promote civil discourse to learn more about social and civil unrest and transformation of societies. The Library offers a safe, inclusive space for community members seeking to amplify and share wisdom for improving life for generations to come.

 

#BlackLivesMatter