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April 12, 2021


Dear American Association of Law Libraries Members,


We are deeply saddened and troubled by the killings of Daoyou Feng, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, Paul Andre Michels, Soon Chung Park, Xiaojie Tan, Delaina Ashley Yaun, and Yong Ae Yue in Atlanta as well as by the surge in anti-Asian incidents over the past year. We condemn all of these attacks, as well as all incidents arising from systemic racism and racial hierarchies, directed at anyone, regardless of affinity group, such as the recent killings of Daunte Wright, a Black man, by police in Minnesota, and Adam Toledo, a Latino teen, by police in Chicago. Further, we regret that the April 15th killings of Matthew R. Alexander, Samaria Blackwell, Amarjeet Johal, Jaswinder Kaur, Amarjit Sekhon, Jaswinder Singh, Karli Smith, and John Weisert, in Indianapolis, must be added to this list of victims. 


Anti-Asian hate crimes in the United States increased 145% in 2020, while the overall hate crime rate decreased 6%, according to the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University San Bernardino’s March 2021 Fact Sheet. The numbers underscore the crisis that people of Asian ancestry in the United States face today. 


“You cannot change any society unless you take responsibility for it, unless you see yourself as belonging to it and responsible for changing it,” urged the late Asian American activist Grace Lee Boggs in a 2003 interview. As law librarians, we provide legal information and we teach legal research and information evaluation skills. Our expertise contributes to our nation’s system of justice by combatting the prejudiced thinking that manifests itself in physical and verbal acts of hatred. 


As we unite to fight these injustices, we hope that you are doing well during this challenging time, more than a year into the global COVID-19 pandemic that has upended all of our lives. If you would like to consult resources to destress, to learn techniques to confront anti-Asian and any other form of hate, to defend yourself and to intervene on behalf of others, to volunteer, and/or to learn more about the rich and varied experiences of Asian Americans in the U.S., please see this list of resources created by the Asian American Law Librarians Caucus


Together, we can stop this rising tide of violence. Please get involved in your workplaces and in your communities.


Sincerely,


The Asian American Law Librarians Caucus Board

The Legal History and Rare Books Special Interest Section

Black Law Librarians Special Interest Section - Chair, Errol Adams 

Jewish Law Librarians Caucus 

FCIL-SIS, Latin American Law Interest Group

Foreign, Comparative, and International Law SIS

AALL Diversity & Inclusion Committee

Sarah Lin, on behalf of the Northern California Association of Law Libraries (NOCALL) Board

First-Gen Professionals Caucus

The Research Instruction & Patron Services SIS Executive Board

Executive Board of the Western Pacific Chapter (WestPac) of AALL

Law Librarians of Puget Sound (LLOPS) Executive Board

Academic Law Libraries Special Interest Section (ALL-SIS)

Digitization and Educational Technology SIS Executive Board 

Technical Services Special Interest Section (TS-SIS)

Social Responsibilities Special Interest Section (SR-SIS)

Chicago Association of Law Libraries Board

The Executive Committee of the Government Law Libraries – Special Interest Section

Interest Section

Legal Innovation & Technology SIS

Atlanta Law Libraries Association Executive Board

Law Librarians’ Society of Washington, DC

Law Library Association of Maryland Executive Board

Houston Area Law Librarians Board

Law Librarians of New England Executive Board

Statement amended April 19, 2021

RESOURCES

         - Combat Anti-Asian Hate
         - Mental Health
         - Bystander Intervention/
           Self-Defense
         - Report Hate Incidents
         - Volunteer
         - Professional Organizations
         - What Can I Add to My
           Reading List?
         - What Can I Add to My Watchlist?