Equity & Social Justice Advisory Group Resources: Home
Introduction
The University at Buffalo Libraries supports and advocates for the principles outlined in UB’s Inclusive Excellence Strategic Plan. Issues of diversity, inclusion, equity, and social justice should not be relegated to the work of a single group or individual, but integrated into the daily work of the Libraries. Everyone in the Libraries is responsible for participating in the activities and goals of this group. The Equity and Social Justice Advisory Group (ESJAG) serves as an advisory body to the VPUL and:
- Advocates for diversity, inclusion, equity, and social justice, and fights systems of oppression surrounding ability, age, class, gender, nation, race, religion, and sexual orientation, both implicit and explicit, among Libraries’ employees and in Libraries’ work practices;
- Supports and coordinates trainings, education, and conversations to facilitate difficult and meaningful change in the Libraries;
- Recommends outreach and engagement activities to connect with and support the UB community around relevant issues;
- Recommends Libraries-wide policy or procedural changes;
- Assists in implementation of the Libraries’ overall strategic plan and assessment of strategic goals;
- Liaises with university-wide initiatives and communicates with leadership and staff across the Libraries.
This list of resources is not comprehensive, but aims to provide a starting point for research into social justice topics. If you have suggestions for additions to this guide, or comments on resources that are included, please contact Sarah Cogley (smpinard@buffalo.edu), ESJAG co-chair.
Land Acknowledgement Statement
Image attribution: "Flag of the Iroquois Confederacy" by Himasaram and Zscout370, released into the public domain
We would like to begin by acknowledging the land on which the University at Buffalo operates, which is the territory of the Seneca Nation, a member of the Haudenosaunee/Six Nations Confederacy. This territory is covered by The Dish with One Spoon Treaty of Peace and Friendship, a pledge to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes. It is also covered by the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua, between the United States Government and the Six Nations Confederacy, which further affirmed Haudenosaunee land rights and sovereignty in the State of New York. Today, this region is still the home to the Haudenosaunee people, and we are grateful for the opportunity to live, work, and share ideas in this territory.
UB Office of Inclusive Excellence, Indigenous Inclusion
General
- How Diversity Works"It is reasonable to ask what good diversity does us. Diversity of expertise confers benefits that are obvious—you would not think of building a new car without engineers, designers and quality-control experts—but what about social diversity? What good comes from diversity of race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation? Research has shown that social diversity in a group can cause discomfort, rougher interactions, a lack of trust, greater perceived interpersonal conflict, lower communication, less cohesion, more concern about disrespect, and other problems. So what is the upside?"
Other research guides
You are encouraged to visit these other research guides created by UB librarians that deal with topics surrounding racism.
- Conducting research through an anti-racism lensFrom the University of Minnesota Libraries: "This guide is for students, staff, and faculty who are incorporating an anti-racist lens at all stages of the research life cycle."
