Libraries Against Racism

We the Board of Trustees of the Woodland Public Library would like to state our support for all those fighting racism and inequality at this time. We find the killing of Mr. George Floyd to be abhorrent and a gross miscarriage of justice. Our condolences go out to his family and to all those who have been affected by the circumstances of his death. We support all those who peacefully protest and who work actively, in good faith, to find solutions to the problems of systemic racism, prejudice, violence, and inequality.

The Board of Trustees of the Woodland Public Library, “serve as a representative of both the Library and the community. The Board’s responsibilities are clear, “The Board . . . shall represent the interests of the community for relevant and quality services” (Article II, Woodland Public Library Board of Trustee Bylaws).

It is in this light, as the providers of information and as an enduring source of knowledge, that the Library offers its services in the hope of assisting the community in solving our nation’s and community’s most difficult issues. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. reminds us, “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle and so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom.”

Our Library contains within its walls, both actual and virtual, the tools to create solutions to our community’s most challenging issues. Libraries provide information from many sources including: historical perspectives on the issues of racism and injustice, examples of civic and community engagement, perspectives from health professionals, law enforcement, and first responders who are impacted by societal inequities and readings that remind us all that we are capable of achieving great things when we work together.

The Woodland Public Library is a beacon of light for all those who seek a perspective that is informed and the access to knowledge which allows a community to create a better way.

Libraries offer a gateway to fulfill the promise of our nation’s preamble to the U.S. Constitution. “We the people, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty.”

We believe our Library manifests these values every time it provides people with access to information, allowing all people to enhance their understanding of the world and create new knowledge as they pursue their education, life’s interests, and the general welfare of the community.

In these times which challenge us with issues of inequality , racism, and violence, we urge everyone to use the resources of our Library to help build a better community, a hopeful community, a community that is engaged with the ideals of our Declaration of Independence, which states, “We hold these truths to be self- evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

As the Board of Trustees, it is our great hope that the community will utilize the Woodland Public Library to foster unity, understanding, and progress in our common destiny to bring about a more perfect union.

The Woodland Public Library Board of Trustees
Noel Rodriguez, Maureen King, Dr. John Jackson, Diane Adams, Ellen Burriss