[Michlib-l] Fw: Combatting Hate Via Your Library

[Karyn Ruley]

"As a reminder, YALSA has resources to help you support youth, especially
those who may be feeling the brunt of current events.  In addition, YALSA
has resources to help you promote empathy and understanding among teens,
especially those in predominantly white communities who need to build
global citizenship skills to be successful adults in the 21st century."

  I find it incredibly offensive that it is assumed that those in
"predominantly white communities" would "especially" need more help in
building "global citizenship skills". While there are, and always will
be, problems with prejudice in this world, many problems these days are
made up, overblown, or attributed only to those with light colored skin.
Racism and prejudice are ugly but go BOTH ways, or ALL ways. And it is
JUST as ugly to assume someone has these prejudices. The blame needs to
stop, the guilt needs to stop, and we need to stop dividing ourselves by
making things more of an issue than they are. We will never achieve
colorblindness when we keep bringing up color.

  If this is an ACTUAL issue in your particular community, then by all
means, have a discussion. But that is an individual community issue, not
something all libraries need to be involved in, if libraries need to be
involved in them at all. I do not need organizations like YALSA to teach
me how to think. I am becoming increasingly frustrated with this and
other library organizations like the ALA and their obvious left leaning
political agendas.


Karyn Ruley

Crawford County Library
201 Plum St.
Grayling, MI
49738
Phone: 989-348-9214
Fax: 989-348-9294