Statement: PLA Echoes ALA Statement Condemning Racism and Violence in Charlottesville
From the Public Library Association:
The Public Library Association (PLA) proudly supports the American Library Association’s (ALA) position on the recent tragic violence in Charlottesville, Virginia. Last week ALA President Jim Neal released the following statement:
“The ALA expresses our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those lost and injured during this weekend’s protests in Charlottesville, Virginia. We will not forget their efforts to enlighten and safeguard their communities from bigotry while opposing racist, anti-immigrant, anti-GLBTQ, and anti-Semitic violence. We stand in solidarity with the people of Virginia as well as anyone who protests hate and fights for equity, diversity and inclusion.”
“The vile and racist actions and messages of the white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups in Charlottesville are in stark opposition to the ALA’s core values. No matter the venue or the circumstance, we condemn any form of intimidation or discrimination based on culture, ethnicity, gender, nationality, race, religion, or sexual orientation. Our differences should be celebrated, and mutual respect and understanding should serve as the norms within our society.
“The ALA supports voices of hope as such actions mirror the library community’s efforts to abolish bigotry and cultural invisibility. As we recently stated, ‘we must continue to support the creation of a more equitable, diverse and inclusive society,’ and we will do this through the work of our members and through resources such as Libraries Respond.”
Source
See Also: Digital Library Federation (DLF) Releases Statement on Charlottesville and White Supremacy (August 21, 2017)
See Also: Statement: Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) on White Supremacist Violence in Charlottesville, Virginia (August 18, 2017)
See Also: ACRL Board of Directors Condemns Racism and Violence in Charlottesville (August 17, 2017)
See Also: Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Condemns Inflammatory Speech and Violence after Charlottesville Tragedy (August 16, 2017)
See Also: ALA Condemns Racism and Violence in Charlottesville (August 15, 2017)
Filed under: Academic Libraries, Associations and Organizations, Libraries, News, Public Libraries

About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.