The Minnesota State Library Service, part of Democratic Gov. Tim Walz's administration, will use public funds to cover the costs of training sessions aimed exclusively at “BIPOC” librarians, according to documents obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The Walz administration describes the event, to be held in October, as “a professional development and networking day designed specifically for BIPOC librarians in Minnesota.” According to Visit the registration page. Minnesota will use public funds to cover hotel accommodations, meals and other costs for program participants, state documents state. show.
“BIPOC” stands for “Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.”
The application form for the event allows people interested in the program to choose how they would like to describe themselves from a range of races and sexual orientations, but “straight” and “white” are conspicuously absent from the options. (Related: Waltz told students that communism means 'everyone is the same, everyone shares')
Nicole Cook, a professor of library and information studies at the University of South Carolina, is scheduled to be the event's keynote speaker, according to an agenda obtained by DCNF.
Cook Claimed She argues that accepting students into the workforce without educating them on diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice is “tantamount to cheating.” In 2017, she received a grant to study “racial microaggressions in libraries.” According to To the press release.
The professor has been a long-time speaker on the importance of focusing on racial justice and diversity when managing libraries. According to In 2020, she posted on her personal website Created “Anti-racism resources for all ages” project. The project contains a large number of materials aimed at introducing children to the topic.
“Anti-racism” is part of a framework pioneered by left-wing scholar Ibram X. Kendi, which holds that anyone who does not actively resist racism, as he defines it, is a racist. According to Kendi, it is impossible to remain neutral on the issue of racism.
US Vice President and 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris with her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (Photo: KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
The Minnesota State Library Service Supervised Tamara Lee is According to According to her LinkedIn profile, she is “passionate about early literacy and racial equity in libraries” and has expressed support for Kendi's anti-racism ideas.
Lee Co-author In a 2021 article for Information Today, she argued that “kindness” is a “tool of white supremacy” that racists believe can be used to get away with their wrongdoings, and that librarians must play an active role in educating children about the racist movement.
“Children are often aware of race long before we think they are,” Lee writes, “and by starting open and honest conversations with our children about race early, we can set them up to be lifelong anti-racist practitioners.”
The State Librarian also Written A 2016 paper advocated for making storytimes for children “racially diverse, equitable, and inclusive.”
Lee was listed as one of the main contacts on documents sharing details about BIPOC-only librarian programs and was involved in organizing the events.
Governor Walz is no stranger to using public resources to host racially segregated events. His Department of Education offered “restorative justice” teacher training in 2022, but white educators were explicitly barred from attending. The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs also offered training aimed at alleviating homelessness among veterans, but only invited them to attend if they were willing to serve as a “stakeholder or ally” for non-white and LGBT veterans.
Lee, the Harris campaign, the Minnesota Governor's office and the Minnesota State Library Service did not respond to DCNF's requests for comment.
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