Reminder: Share your views with Council (and mine are posted here)
As discussed here previously, at its meeting next week the Society of American Archivists’ Council will be discussing a proposal put forward by SAA’s Diversity Committee and Lesbian and Gay Archives Roundtable. Many people have strong feelings on this issue. If you are one of those people and you haven’t yet written to SAA President Frank Boles (or your Council member of choice), please do so now. Many Council members will be leaving for the meeting on Wednesday, so to be most effective, please make sure you contact them by Tuesday, February 24. For those who are interested, after the jump I’ve posted the letter I wrote to Frank. Thanks to everyone who has joined the Facebook group and made their own blog posts in support of the rights of gay and lesbian friends and colleagues!
Dear Frank,
I am writing to voice my support for the spirit of Council Discussion Item A, submitted by the Diversity Committee and the LAGAR. Please feel free to share this message with all members of Council.
Rather than focusing on the specifics of Proposition 8 or the actions of one state government, I think this proposal, and the public discussion surrounding it, require Council to give thoughtful consideration to how SAA’s commitment to diversity should manifest itself in the way SAA carries out its activities and conducts its business.
I do not think it is possible, after the public controversy regarding this issue, for Council to merely state that it does not wish to take a stand on Proposition 8. While looked at in isolation, that may be a reasonable position, however I do not think it is possible to look at this request in isolation. The public discussion generated by this request calls for a larger response. This discussion has revealed deep differences of opinion that need to be respected and examined. To what extent should SAA take positions on issues that appear (to some) to have no direct bearing on our professional activities? If SAA chooses to support some larger societal issues (such as the pursuit of equal civil rights for gay and lesbian citizens), how should this support best manifest itself? How does SAA define its commitment to diversity? Where does it draw the line?
I think that this consideration, conducted over time with many opportunities for input by the membership, is what is necessary for the organization. I wish that this was not the case. I wish that all my fellow members shared my deeply-held commitment to the pursuit of full equal rights for our gay and lesbian colleagues. Since this topic has been the subject of public discussion in our professional community, the demonstrations of ignorance and hostility on this issue have sickened me. They demonstrate how much work remains to be done. They demonstrate the need for good people–and good organizations–to be vocal about our support for our gay and lesbian friends and colleagues.
If Council chooses to forgo further discussion and agree to follow the Diversity Committee and LAGAR’s suggestion that SAA “simply [adopt] a policy of seizing opportunities to show support when they appear,” I would personally be very pleased, and I think that would also be true of the majority of the membership. Taking this kind of stand would be, in my opinion, the right thing to do. There has been talk of a mass exodus of “conservative” members from SAA in response to any formal support for the Diversity Committee/LAGAR agenda item. I doubt that would happen. But I do think that to show support, in any way, for the Diversity Committee/LAGAR request would cause concerns for members who raise legitimate questions over how active SAA should be in supporting or advocating for what they perceive to be “non-professional” issues. In these times of shrinking resources and increasing demands for advocacy directly related to our institution’s bottom-lines, I can understand their point of view.
These are not easy questions. In my view, it will take a great deal of thought, time and discussion to arrive at some answers. In the end, I am sure some members will not be happy with the results, but I hope everyone will respect the process and feel that their voices have been heard.
Sincerely,
Kate
Advocacy, Leadership, Society of American Archivists (SAA) | Kate T. | 
February 19, 2009 7:38 am
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