Dear SEAALL members,

The Executive Board of SEAALL, the Southeastern Chapter of the American Association of Law Libraries, wishes to denounce the unjust, violent deaths of George Floyd, Brionna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless other Black people at the hands of police officers, racist vigilantes, and white supremacists, and the brutal actions taken against peaceful protestors in the weeks that have followed.  While libraries are known for being quiet sanctuaries, the leadership of SEAALL will not be silent in the face of injustice.  It is the mission of law libraries and law librarians to educate, enlighten, and empower their patrons and fight ignorance, intolerance, and injustice.

SEAALL stands in solidarity with the activists, communities, and other organizations uniting against the epidemic of racism, racial bias, police brutality, and hate-fueled violence targeting minority communities, especially the Black community. Black Lives Matter. We call on all of our SEAALL members to take a stand however they can, professionally and personally, against racism, bigotry, police misconduct, and state-sanctioned violence.

To implement meaningful change, we need to evaluate our libraries’ policies, practices, and procedures for biases, both conscious and unconscious, and inequalities, and create initiatives to help promote racial diversity. We will be working with the Diversity and Inclusion Committee to create a resource page on the website with literature and links to information about diversity and inclusion and cultural competence.

Best,

Shamika Dalton

President of SEAALL