The Long Beach Public Library Foundation stands in solidarity with the American Library Association (ALA), Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA), and the Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities of Long Beach in condemning anti-Asian hate crimes.
As the ALA Executive Board recently stated, “Such bias and bigotry are not new, but they have found fertile terrain in a country beset by disinformation, discrimination, xenophobia, Sinophobia, and white supremacy.” We couldn’t agree more. That is why we remain firmly committed to promoting literacy and education in Long Beach. Education is a powerful tool in fighting these social ills.
We are now proud to launch our Fund for Asian American and Pacific Islander Voices and encourage you to donate any amount to support library materials that promote the voices, narratives, and histories of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. This fund will also support resources and programs that educate the public on the origins of white privilege, white supremacy, and other forms of institutional racism and human rights issues that plague our society. Support this fund at https://www.lbplfoundation.org/aapi. Whether you donate $5 or $500, your gift will support educational tools in the fight against racism and injustice.
The Library Foundation remains committed to fighting for greater equitable access to the Library by advocating for significant increases to the Library’s structural budget. The City should provide the Library with sustainable funding that would allow it to be open more hours and provide more resources in Khmer, Tagalog, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Spanish, and other languages spoken in Long Beach homes. If you agree, please contact your Councilperson and ask for greater structural funding for the Library.
The Library Foundation will also continue our efforts to diversify our Board of Directors, so our leadership adequately reflects Long Beach’s diverse community. In the past three years, we have transformed the makeup of our Board to include more people of color. We have seen how inviting a diverse set of voices—those from various racial, cultural, geographic, age, and economic backgrounds—has strengthened our organization and boosted our community impact and exposure, allowing us to promote literacy at every economic level.
Libraries play an instrumental role in educating the public, and they are often the only place left in society where the public can access truly free educational resources. They are often called the great equalizer. That is why it is important to strengthen this institution.
Learn about all the Long Beach Public Library has to offer at https://www.longbeach.gov/library.
Thank you, stay safe, and keep learning.
Long Beach Public Library Foundation Board of Directors and Staff
