Elevating Racial Equity in the Workplace
“We wanted to create a space of awareness in which staff were prepared to address the ways in which the library system perpetuates systemic racism and structural racism through policies and practices while at the same time we wanted to start normalizing equity considerations.” – Dominic Davis
Meet Dominic Davis, a black, white, Native American queer boy from the eastern upper peninsula of Michigan. Some of Dominic’s fondest memories in libraries are going to the library with his grandma as a child and starting a Harry Potter fan based group in high school. During his first year of undergraduate at Marquette, he came upon the Peter White Public Library and knew immediately that he was going to work there after his studies. Sure enough, he landed a job there as a circulation aid then moved into the administration assistant role. Dominic spent seven years at the Peter White Public Library before relocating to Madison, WI. He is currently a Library Assistant at the Pinney library location within the Madison Public Library system. In addition to his library responsibilities, he is the co-chair for their internal Racial Equity Change Team (RECT) and project manager for the Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) Affinity Group.
RECT started in 2019 as a result of the city’s mandate that required every city department to have a team elevating racial equity and social justice as key values used in decision making. The Madison Public Library created their team that now has 16-18 staff of color from different backgrounds and library positions. The team is tasked with normalizing equity considerations by raising awareness on how libraries perpetuate systemic racism through operations. They work closely with the city of Madison and local library centered efforts through the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE). They follow the city’s racial equity and social justice initiative tool to conduct equity analyses that examine policies and practices within their internal organization. The BIPOC Affinity Group formed during the height of the civil unrest in 2020. The library uncovered that staff of color were not satisfied and did not feel a strong sense of belonging when they gathered recommendations from staff to help develop their equity plan. Hence, the affinity group was created to offer respite, support, and resources to staff of color.
Racial equity is in the workplace is more than a statement. It takes accountability and action. Come learn more about RECT and the BIPOC Affinity Group in the podcast episode with Dominic Davis. He gives critique and discusses progress within both internal groups. If you have any follow up questions, you may contact Dominic at ddavis@madisonpubliclibrary.org.