This statement was issued by members of the Guild Executive Board, AFSCME Local 2910, on June 5, 2020.
Like so many of you, we have watched the unprecedented events of the past weeks with alarm, fear, horror, and grief. We are outraged by the recent killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and so many other people of color, named and unnamed, at the hands of law enforcement. We are sickened by the systemic racism in our society, by the culture of violence toward black lives, by the complicity that has continued to make this possible.
At the same time, we are hopeful that the voices of so many rising in protest all around us can instigate real change. As a labor union, the Guild is committed to equity and justice, to bringing diverse voices to the table, and above all else protecting and affirming that shared human decency that grows from a fundamental respect for all persons. These values extend well beyond the workplace. The mission of the Library of Congress, the ethics of our profession, and the collective conscience of our members all necessitate this public acknowledgement from us.
We are painfully aware that there is still so much more work left to do. Our membership is diverse but this problem is singular. We denounce the structural, cultural and physical violence directed against African Americans in our own communities, and across our country. We stand together with others fighting for an anti-racist present and future. As legislative branch employees working to preserve our nation’s cultural legacy—and as human beings—we unequivocally pledge ourselves to see, call out, and fight against oppression, racism, and white supremacy in every form, so that these societal evils have no home in our hearts, in our lives, or in our workplace.
In solidarity,
Anne Toohey, President
David Fernández-Barrial, Chief Steward
Rosemary Brawner
Jacqueline Coleburn
Susan Garfinkel
Michelle Graddy
Manoj Gupta
Adam Friedman
Mark Hall
Darren Jones
Taru Spiegel
Guild (AFSCME 2910) Executive Board, June 5, 2020
www.guild2910.org
