Our Commitment to Equity and Inclusion

The EWU Libraries & Learning Commons joins our fellow Orbis Cascade Alliance members affirming our commitment to equity and inclusion. 

Statement issued June 4, 2020:

The Orbis Cascade Alliance Board of Directors joins our voices in unanimity with those of many others across our nation who are deeply committed to creating a just and humane world. We believe that all library workers, members of the academy, and citizens must stand together and work to end the systemic injustices, racism, oppression, and violence that have continuously traumatized Black Americans and other people of color throughout our nation’s history.

We stand in support and solidarity with the minoritized individuals and communities in our colleges and universities for whom recent incidents may have a particularly traumatic impact. These individuals include our own library faculty, staff, and student workers, as well as the minoritized individuals we serve – students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends, and other members of our campus communities.

As an academic library consortium, we recognize that our commitment to creating equity in higher education must extend beyond our traditional focus on ensuring equitable access to information. While we will remain dedicated to supporting shared access to library collections that can contribute to the dialog on equity, inclusion, and social justice, we must do more.

Building on the Alliance’s strong history of collaborating for our communities’ benefit, we have the collective power and opportunity to be part of the necessary change that our times demand. We can, and will, do more together to combat racism and to advance equity, inclusion, and social justice in our profession and our practices. We reaffirm our vision to serve as a vital partner in advancing transformative learning and research and creating equity in higher education.

For more information about the Orbis Cascade Alliance, visit the consortium website, www.orbiscascade.org.