From Starshine and Clay: Creativity in Critical Feminist Black & Latina Librarianship
This conversation originated from a panel hosted by Art+Feminism at the Museum of Modern Art on March 11, 2017. The panelists, Jennifer Ferretti, Digital Initiatives Librarian at the Maryland Institute College of Art and Alexsandra Mitchell, Reference Librarian and Archivist at the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture discussed intersectional politics, critical librarianship, and Wikipedia.
Q: What does intersectional feminism mean to you?
AM: When I think of intersectional feminism, I’m immediately drawn to Kimberlé Crenshaw, and the work she has done around the term “intersectionality,” as a black and the way the term relates to me as a Black woman. For me, it means fighting for and doing work that involves inclusivity, equality, equity, and representation.
JF: Intersectional feminism disputes the idea that all women share the same life experiences. We are not homogenous. Race, religion, nationality, orientation, class, ability, all make for different life experiences. I would not assume all of my life experiences are the same as all women of color.
Q: How does it affect your work?
AM: Intersectional feminism affects my work in a few ways. Mainly, I try to create spaces and work projects that reflect my interest and dedication to inclusivity, equality, equity, and representation. For example, I had our web team add gender pronouns to our appointment form in an effort to respect our researchers. I want them to truly enjoy their research experience, and to feel respected and welcome in a safe space. For me, this means making sure my colleagues refer to them in the way(s) that they self-identify, not as we assume. I try my best to be a supportive colleague at all times. To show up and be present.
I pick writing projects and creative projects that allow me to write about the Black women who have been pioneers in the field. I’m currently working on a book chapter about Black women librarians and emotional labor and support. This all plays into my ideas of intersectional feminism.
JF: I don’t assume. I ask and empathize. I read as much as possible.
Q: Who are the women who keep you fed and able to do your work?
AM: I’m always looking to women who will inspire me. Women who will keep me going as I do the work. My grandmothers, Mary Jane Payne and Rev. Dr. Sadie S. Mitchell, are the two main women who keep me fed and able to do the work. Their love for me knows no bounds. They have both been my biggest cheerleaders and supporters throughout my life. Dr. Maya Angelou would follow my grandmothers. Her collected autobiographies are my go-to when I need inspiration and a reminder of what’s important — that I’m human and it will all get done, with style and grace. I have the most amazing girlfriends and chosen-family-sisters. Too many to name, but I am forever grateful for their love and support. They keep me going.
JF: I love this question, thank you for asking it Alexsandra! I have to say Melissa Harris-Perry, Editor-at-Large at Elle (previously MSNBC show host, author, professor). I’m currently reading one of her books, Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America. I saw her speak at MICA’s Constitution Day in 2015 and it was incredibly powerful.
Our Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden is a big inspiration to me. She is the first woman and first African-American to hold her current position. She was previously the CEO of my city’s library system, Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore. Dr. Hayden received national attention while CEO of EPFL when the Pennsylvania Avenue library branch remained opened despite being ‘ground zero’ of the Baltimore Uprising of 2015. The uprising happened after 25-year-old Freddie Gray died in police custody. She also gained notoriety as president of the American Library Association in 2003–2004 when she spoke out agains the newly passed U.S. Patriot Act.
Also, my mamita keeps me going. My mom has seen me at my worst, tells me when I’m being a baby, encourages me when I’m nervous, and just one hundred percent believes in me.
AM: This is a question for Jenny: What is critical librarianship to you? How is it worked into what you do?
JF: My librarianship — which I always refer to as something living — is inherently critical and does not believe in neutrality. Neutrality or deliberate ignorance speaks as loudly as directly addressing social issues. Neutrality is an opinion. As a librarian, you engage the issues that arise in your community, your nation, your world. Neutral librarianship intentionally ignores marginalized communities and experiences. I also believe everything is librarianship, therefore fitting into the work I do. Everything deserves a critical lens, from the Western art canon, to films, to Facebook posts.
One example of how I fit the Baltimore Uprising into my work is I made a research guide called Understanding Civic Unrest in Baltimore, 1968–2015. I wanted to provide historic context for what was happening in our city. Many of our students, staff, and faculty participated in someway — either by protesting, helping with clean up, food drives, etc. It also made it’s way into their work and/or more engaged with social issues.
Q: What are the/some projects you’ve done that embody your politics?
AM: I’d have to say my recent work with NYPL’s Mobile Library Service at Rikers Island, my podcast series Live From the Reading Room: Correspondence, research guides that I’ve created like the one on Katherine Dunham, a pioneer in the field of anthropology and Black Dance, and my two programming series at The Schomburg Center for Research and Black Culture: Live from the Archive and Everyday Archives. Each of these projects allows me to utilize my creativity, and my professional political ideology that people should be empowered through/by the use of/knowledge and access to knowledge sources and information.
JF: I’m on the advisory board of the Preserve the Baltimore Uprising Archive Project, which is a crowdsourced collection of material relating to the Baltimore Uprising. I teach students how to contribute to Wikipedia, emphasizing its gender, age, and race gaps. I made a research guide about Beyoncé’s Lemonade, which gathers resources on topics a fine art and design student should be considering when looking at a work of art, such as the literary and art references in the film, Black womanhood, Black Lives Matter, copyright issues, response and criticism, and more. All of these recent projects embody my politics.
Q: What are some readings/texts that inspire you?
AM: Can I say Dr. Angelou’s collected autobiographies again? (lols) I’d have to say Buchi Emecheta’s Kehinde, and Robin D.G. Kelly’s Freedom Dreams: the Black Radical Imagination, are all texts that inspire me. Dr. Angelou’s autobiographies keep me fed. I hope to be able to bring the level of mastery in storytelling and presence found in Kehinde to my work as a librarian and archivist. Robin D.G. Kelly’s Freedom Dreams is a book that I revisit for ideas, theory, and for reimagining a new Black future, with a historical background and context. These are a few of my favorite books.
JF: About a year ago I found myself mostly reading books about the Civil Rights Era and other periods of history. I was reading these books because I didn’t know enough about the history of this country. At some point I realized all of the recent books I was reading were written by white males. I started to think about what that might mean as far as the kind of information I was taking in. I deliberately started reading fiction and books by people of color (mostly women). Many of the books I picked up were inspiring: “The Book of Unknown Americans,” by Cristina Henriquez, “This Is How You Lose Her,” by Junot Díaz, “The Beautiful Struggle,” by Ta-Nehisi Coates, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” by Dr. Angelou, “Black Boy,” by Richard Wright and so many others. I even picked up a poetry book recommended by one our students: Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur. I mentioned earlier I’m currently reading a Melissa Harris-Perry book, whom I also find inspiring.
Q: Who are some artists you look to and the ways in which they influence your work as a librarian?
AM: I’m inspired by so many artists. Dr. Deborah Willis, my former professor, is high up on that list. Dr. Deb has been able to do it all, from curator of the Photographs and Prints Division at The Schomburg Center, to being a MacArthur Genius Award Winner. I look to her as a reminder that I can do it all as a librarian and as an artist.
Carrie Mae Weems and Lorna Simpson are very close to Dr. Deb on my list — their level of mastery is something that I hope to bring to my work everyday. Barbara Chase-Riboud, a fellow Philadelphia native (in addition to Dr. Deb), is phenomenal. Her Malcolm X Steels blow me away. I hope to bring that level of excellence to my work as a librarian.
JF: I would have to say Mickalene Thomas. Someone please add more to her Wikipedia page! I love her use of patterns and collage and exploration of topics such as womanhood and beauty.
The NYC rapper Junglepussy is one of my favorite artists. She’s a poet, feminist, and promotes healthy eating! She’s spoken at Yale University and Columbia University about her life and music. I also love her performance name. It’s pretty provocative, which I’m sure leads to assumptions about her. I feel this way to a certain extent about telling people I’m a ‘librarian.’ It usually leads to assumptions about my educational background, interests, and abilities. Between my name and my job, I feel like I’m constantly explaining myself.
These artists influence my work as a librarian mostly because I’m curious about their research process, interests, and artistic output. How would I talk about these artists with students? How would I illustrate the importance of information, visual, and cultural literacy to our students using these artists as examples?
JF Q: I want to quickly mention the gender gap on Wikipedia — the majority of Wikipedia editors are white males. I just want to take a minute to reflect on how this impacts what is created and edited.
JF: As mentioned earlier, I always talk about the Wikipedia gender gap with students or new editors. I always ask them what they think it means and we discuss how anytime this happens, it’s going to skew toward people, places, things the people of the majority demographic is interested in. This is why it’s important for me to show fine art and design students how to edit Wikipedia. They come with a knowledge base that is not the majority of who is editing Wikipedia right now.
It’s why Celia Cruz’s article on (English) Wikipedia is incredibly short in comparison to other major musical performers. Celia Cruz was the biggest singer in the world of Latin music. Her article should reflect this. And yes, I do plan on adding to it myself!
Q: How can Wikipedia be used as a tool to promote intersectional feminism?
AM: Write the women in! Literally! It’s such a powerful tool in that we are able to promote intersectional feminism by adding adequate representation in the form of Wikipedia profiles on women artists.
JF: Agreed! This is where edit-a-thons become incredibly important. Teaching and editing with a specific purpose, identifying who doesn’t yet have an article or needs content, adding citations to articles, are all ways to use it as a tool to promote intersectional feminism. I try to get students to think about what is missing in every platform, tool, text, etc. Wikipedia is no different.
