March 2024 | Volume XLII, Issue 1 »
Stephen Jackson: A DiversiTEA Recap
March 1, 2024
ILA Diversity Committee
The ILA Diversity Committee asked Stephen Jackson to speak at the 2023 DiversiTEA event at the ILA Annual Conference. Jackson is the Director of Equity and Anti-Racism at Oak Park Public Library (OPPL). Jackson began working at OPPL in 2016 to integrate social services into the public library. In 2019, he spearheaded the formation of their Teen Services Department, creating new programming and services for teen patrons.
Stephen Jackson shared his experiences with the intent to inspire and motivate other libraries to take on similar initiatives. His current position at OPPL, created in 2021, supports the library’s Anti-Racism Strategic Plan. The Plan proactively addresses issues of systemic racism within the library. Jackson is not a librarian, but one of the growing numbers of mental health professionals working within public libraries. He has a Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and a Bachelor of Arts in Behavioral Sciences from National Louis University.
Alex Pryber
Jackson emphasized the importance of building connections within our communities and finding ways to meet the needs of marginalized populations. He explained the importance of engaging in restorative practices: proactive actions to reduce or prevent harm, and restorative justice: reactive actions to repair the well-being of those harmed. His primary method of enacting restorative practices is the use of Peace Circles. These practices have their roots in Indigenous American cultures and focus on providing all participants the opportunity to tell their story.
The audience of the DiversiTEA event participated in a Peace Circle as Jackson took us through this process. A Peace Circle provides a consistent structure that ensures restorative practices are being used. This includes checking in with each participant at the beginning and end of the experience, icebreakers, and an understanding of shared values to create a fun and welcoming environment. These experiences involve a specific topic and a talking piece (an object) that is passed around, so everyone gets a chance to share. The result of the Peace Circle is a better understanding of each other and the creation of a plan with action items to complete in moving forward.
Jackson shared lessons about the importance of finding community and common ground, recognizing that “Everyone has something to offer. Everyone is their own expert, and everyone has the chance to change.”
Social service programs and a focus of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in libraries are relatively new but gaining popularity. In a follow-up interview with the ILA Diversity Committee, Jackson commented that he felt it was important to have roles like his in libraries where the majority of library workers are white women.
“Diversity when you are talking about gender and race is predominant when we are talking about the library profession. In 2016, when I integrated into the library profession, I felt that presence and I saw exactly what the numbers say and for a lot of people who may not come from that demographic it can be a very uncomfortable position; and, sometimes there is mistreatment that goes along with that. I think it is a profession that needs positions like this, but at a leadership level, and with decision making power.”
Oak Park Public Library has been intentionally focusing on anti-racism for over a decade and has been proactively taking steps to further their DEI initiatives. Jackson was part of the Anti-Racism Committee that, in 2020, participated in an equity audit of OPPL. Jackson revealed that “a lot of information came to us about how the people felt about the library. One of the initiatives to come out of that was to become an anti-racist organization.”
Jackson had a hand in helping the Anti-Racism Committee write the job description for the Director of Equity and Anti-Racism but it wasn’t until he started sharing the open position with friends and colleagues that it occurred to him to apply. A friend pointed out that the job description was all the things he was already doing. When asked about how he saw his role at OPPL he said, “I look at it as being an internal consultant; you are assessing, looking at things, adding trainings, and helping the organization reach its mission, its vision, and its values.”
Jackson also recounted some of the programs and initiatives that have been a success. He was hired by a social worker at OPPL, who had been hired six months prior to Stephen’s hiring, to aid in the goal of increasing access to resources. In 2017, the library went fine free. In 2020, the library adopted an Anti-Racism Strategic Plan. This provided a structure to move forward. Since then, they conducted the equity audit and adopted an Anti-Racism Workplace Policy.
Jackson recognizes that not all libraries are the same and that our comm unities are all unique. When asked for advice on where others should start Jackson said, “Ask the community, equity audit is foundational to finding out where the gaps are. You may find a group of people who you didn’t even know were there.” He also stressed the importance of finding creative ways to bring people together. “You need to provide the opportunity and the safe space, that is where the Peace Circles come in, in creating that atmosphere and dynamic where there is that level of trust.”
He gave advice on how to face obstacles along the way, the most common question being “How does this apply to libraries?” Jackson suggested starting with a pilot program, something that doesn’t cost the organization any money but can demonstrate a benefit to the community. He used this model to increase teen services. At the time OPPL didn’t have an independent Teen Services Department, but by offering more programs, both the library and the community saw the benefit of having more programming and resources for teens. This gave Jackson the opportunity to suggest the creation of a Teen Services Department instead of the previous “Adult and Teen Services” model. This led to his second role at OPPL as the Head of Teen Services.
Jackson admits that “We have been blessed to have a board that really represents our community. They are a caring and a loving board that trusts our professional judgment when we put recommendations up.” He also recognizes that this is not always the case. “When you help the least of the people in the community you are actually helping the [larger] community. Some people don’t see the impact of it and the value in that.”
For those who are facing barriers he encourages that “If it is your passion work, if it is in your heart to do these things, you are just going to do them and people will see the value in that work. People come to talk to us about people experiencing homelessness. This is the library and we have resources and connections and will assist people but this is a larger community issue than it is a library issue. Since we are a library for everyone we are going to make sure that they get what they need when they are here.”
Jackson attributes his experience in restorative practices to staying optimistic even while there is a rise in overt racism and bigotry in this country. Restorative practices have their beginnings with the Indigenous cultures in what is now this country and those cultures saw the good in everybody. Jackson encourages us, especially those in public service roles, to strive to see the good in people regardless of how they may show up. “My goal is to create a library that has this lens by which we engage with the public because everyone has a story. Suspend judgment and just assume the best. Creating a space for people’s voices to be heard and share experiences without fear of retaliation is how to create that environment.”
To learn more about Stephen Jackson and the anti-racism work at Oak Park Public Library visit: https://www.oppl.org/about/anti-racism/
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