Hello APALA!
We have kicked off the year with a jump start, and our APALA committees have begun their work. We have about 90+ volunteers this year, serving on committees and on the executive board. Thank you for your time, energy and service. You are what makes our organization vibrant and successful. I have been in my role for a few months, but it’s certainly been a whirlwind of activity. First, the Joint Conference for Librarians of Color (JCLC) has been rescheduled for Feb 8-12, 2023. Big thank you to Eileen Bosch and Paolo Gujilde for serving on the JCLC steering committee and representing APALA, and to Ken Yamashita for serving on the JCLC Board of Directors. JCLC is the only dedicated conference for the National Associations of Librarians of Color (NALCo), and I appreciate all the APALA and NALCo members who have dedicated so much time and effort on planning committees for this event.
Each year, APALA sends out a membership survey to better understand what members would like to see from the organization and ways that we can meet the needs of our folks. One major theme from this last round was the desire for members to connect with each other and build community. Recently, APALA Chapters have been approved and have begun the process to form. You can check and see if a chapter has been proposed for your region, and to submit for a chapter, fill out the chapter request form. The chapters plan to communicate activities and recruit members via the APALA listserv, and I also invite folks to reach out to designated chapter leaders for more updates.
APALA is also responding to member feedback on representation and support for all our communities within the APALA membership, specifically focused on Pacific Islanders and Native Hawaiians. With this in mind, the APALA Engagement Task Force has been charged with identifying engagement opportunities with Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian, and South, Southwest, and Central Asian American library workers within APALA and in the field. They will be sending out a survey this fall to solicit feedback and input from APALA members who identify within these groups, with the task of submitting a report with recommendations at the end of the fiscal year. APALA is a diverse group of people and we want to make sure we are doing what we can to engage our members who are underrepresented within this space. I understand the complexity of representation under the acronym of “AAPI” and how sometimes acronyms fall short of addressing the nuances and diversity within our communities. We are working to ensure we can improve our reach and advocacy to all of our members.
On a somber note, I want to take a moment to acknowledge some of the recent crises that have impacted our diasporic communities and Black communities as a result of climate change and systemic racism. Over the summer, Pakistan dealt with crisis-level flooding that resulted in thousands of lives lost and millions of people who need aid. More recently, landslides in the Philippines have displaced thousands of people. In the United States, the Jackson, Miss., water crisis is a result of systemic racism and lack of investment in infrastructure, which has disproportionately affected Black residents of the city. Folks can donate to mutual aid funds to assist Jackson residents. In India, a bridge collapsed and left over 134 people dead, and in South Korea, a stampede over Halloween weekend has left at least 149 people dead. I also want to point to the protests in Iran and encourage folks to share with your communities what has been happening and ways we can help. While it’s not always possible in one statement to acknowledge every event, I want us to try and pay closer attention to news stories that impact our communities because they are often overlooked or underreported in the media. With all of these crises, I hope that APALA members can continue to advocate for others in need, raise awareness, and help out in ways that we are able.
In closing, I want to express gratitude to each of our members. I see all the wonderful activities, programs, and opportunities shared on the listserv, through our libraries, and on social media. There is no APALA without all of you!
Annie Pho (she/her/hers)
APALA President 2022-2023