ALISE 2022 Annual Conference

Marginalized people have been educating, shouting, crying, and demanding justice for decades. During the global pandemic, the world finally began acknowledging systemic discrimination that suppresses their voices and erases their histories. Calls for social justice, though, fall flat without examining and bolstering the foundations upon which our institutions are built. Similar to the example set by works like The New York Times 1619 Project, Library and Information Science educators must begin examining the complex history of our own profession and institutions. By including a more nuanced, honest look at our own history, we can infuse more cultural humility into the library profession.

“Go back and get it” is one of the literal interpretations of the term Sankofa, a symbol used by the Akan people of Ghana. The Sankofa is generally depicted as a bird with its head turned backward taking an egg from its back. It is a metaphor reminding…