[Note from the DVAG PC: The post below was written by Rachel Appel on behalf of participants in the #ArchivesforBlackLives in Philadelphia group. A4BLiP is not affiliated with DVAG, although we do encourage our members to read their statement and consider the issues it raises. Sharing this statement is part of DVAG’s redoubled efforts towards diversity and inclusion, which include a new committee headed by one of our members at large and a wider reexamination of how we can take action to protect and expand diversity within our own profession. This statement represents one of a much larger cluster of interrelated issues and much work remains to be done. Anyone who wants to be involved with these efforts should contact any member of the PC.]
Archives for Black Lives in Philly has been working on a statement about issues raised by the #BlackLivesMatter movement and our role as archives professionals since August 2016. The group comprises 43 people from various repositories across the Delaware Valley. This group was inspired by Jarrett Drake, Digital Archivist at Princeton University, and his work to end archives’ erasure of Black lives and combat systemic racism. The Black Lives Matter movement is an archives issue. The statement is a living document in which other organizations modify and add to it.
We have created a GitHub repo to host the statement here: https://github.com/rappel110/A4BLiP/blob/master/20160109
Please feel free to fork the repository and modify or add to the statement to include your own group’s ideas.
Delaware Valley Archivists Group 