Voices from the Joint Conference of Librarians of Color; Library Journal, 9/20/12

Library Journal; Voices from the Joint Conference of Librarians of Color: "[Library Journal: More than one program item at the JCLC conference focuses on microaggressions; is this new research and if so, how does it change our understanding of how librarians should relate to one another or to their customers? Alanna Aiko Moore: The term microaggression was coined by psychologists in the 1970s, but psychologist Derald Wing Sue has expanded upon the theory in the past five to ten years. To paraphrase Sue, microaggressions are subtle, everyday insults, demeaning messages, and indignities which are sent to the targeted group by people who are often unaware of the hidden messages that they are sending. What makes microaggressions so dangerous is not only the impact of those subtle messages, but the uncertainty of not knowing if the oppression that the victim experienced really happened. It is vitally important that we discuss microaggressions in our profession. As a profession with few people of color, it is important to have trainings that prepare people with skills to acknowledge, name, and interrupt this behavior, so that we can work internally to stop microaggressions and build strong organizations. As a public service profession, it is imperative that we recognize and interrupt microaggressions when they take place in interactions with our patrons. As librarians, we serve incredibly diverse communities, and microaggressions can create unseen barriers to library use."