I would like to point out that Marjorie's post does not provide a complete picture of the events surrounding the resignation of SCBWI's diversity officer. I have no wish to get into the middle of any discussions of this, but I feel that I must point out that while the effect is basically as Marjorie described, April left not because of issuing the #StopAntisemitism original statement itself but because of the difficulties of handling the ensuing contentious situation. There are legitimately problematic elements of the whole incident, but please look beyond headlines and learn as much as you can about the situation - as librarians and information specialists, it behooves us to do so.
I want to urge all of you NOT TO ENGAGE ON SOCIAL MEDIA about this controversy. In the unnatural environment of social media, it's nearly impossible to have a productive conversation about highly emotional topics, especially with strangers with whom trust has not been established. Trying to do so always seems to just turn into a dumpster fire, so I strongly advise you all to avoid it. If you feel compelled to take action of some kind, please (1) learn all you can about the situation, (2) take some time to calmly compose your thoughts, (3) write privately to SCBWI with constructive suggestions. This message is NOT an invitation to discuss antisemitism, Israel, Palestine, or the terrible state of the world, and ABSOLUTELY NOT an invitation for anyone to judge anyone else's sanity, virtue, or commitment to any cause. As I've watched events unfold around this controversy, I have been disheartened to see adults who care about children's learning, forgetting to act like grownups themselves. Thus I remind you not to allow yourself to be seduced by the dopamine of anger. Please take a deep breath, go have a cup of tea, and then calmly consider if/how you wish to respond, and whether doing so will help the world become a better place. Thank you for listening. Heidi On Tue, Jun 29, 2021 at 9:14 AM Marjorie Gann via Hasafran < hasafran@lists.osu.edu> wrote: > Hello, Safranim, > > I just read the following article > <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2021/06/society-of-childrens-book-writers-and.html__;!!KGKeukY!jjcMBqloNhxu0I1y2fYaAJHiaL3JHEgvfOewvdH4cDHPQsvtjlNpW-_dova-H_dkOF0$> > on the Elder of Ziyon website, titled: "Society of Children's Authors and > Illustrators @SCBWI forces out Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer for > issuing a statement condemning antisemitism." > > > https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2021/06/society-of-childrens-book-writers-and.html__;!!KGKeukY!jXpwypP1hWDBKl9n-FMQqtL1GodA0IQXOkK2dpryY8EXwpxBT7gqf2O7VZ1BtQmYdFE$ > > <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2021/06/society-of-childrens-book-writers-and.html__;!!KGKeukY!jjcMBqloNhxu0I1y2fYaAJHiaL3JHEgvfOewvdH4cDHPQsvtjlNpW-_dova-H_dkOF0$> > > As some of you are likely SCBWI members, I thought this might be of > interest to you. > > According to the blogger Elder of Ziyon (he's not an antisemite, despite > the name he's selected for himself; he's a strong advocate of Israel), > April, the SCBWI's chief equity officer, was forced to resign for > condemning antisemitism without "balancing" it with a condemnation of > Islamophobia, despite the fact that by far the greatest proportion of hate > crimes against a religion are committed against Jews. You can read the > details here > <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2021/06/society-of-childrens-book-writers-and.html__;!!KGKeukY!jjcMBqloNhxu0I1y2fYaAJHiaL3JHEgvfOewvdH4cDHPQsvtjlNpW-_dova-H_dkOF0$> > . > > As Elder of Ziyon argues, what SCBWI did was to "all lives matter" the > Jewish people by its refusal to recognize the distinctiveness of > antisemitism. There should not be a requirement that every time > antisemitism is condemned, it must be paired with a condemnation of > Islamophobia. > > Marjorie Gann > > Marjorie Gann > Latest Book: *Speak a Word for Freedom: Women against Slavery* > * by Janet Willen and Marjorie Gann* > * Penguin Random House/Tundra, 2015* > > "An inspiring collection of those who have fought and continue to fight > against the evil of slavery and an effectively solemn reminder that slavery > remains a global plague." Kirkus > > "A powerful indictment of human rights abuses and tribute to the women who > have fought them." Starred review, Publishers Weekly > > *Five Thousand Years of Slavery, * > * by Marjorie Gann and Janet Willen* > * Tundra Books, 2011* > > A 2012 Notable Book for a Global Society, Children's Literature and > Reading Special Interest Group, International Reading Association > > *ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year, 2011 Silver Winner, Young Adult > Nonfiction* > > Visit our website, > https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.gannwillen.com__;!!KGKeukY!jXpwypP1hWDBKl9n-FMQqtL1GodA0IQXOkK2dpryY8EXwpxBT7gqf2O7VZ1B3Hl10CY$ > > <https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.fivethousandyearsofslavery.com/__;!!KGKeukY!jjcMBqloNhxu0I1y2fYaAJHiaL3JHEgvfOewvdH4cDHPQsvtjlNpW-_dova-32heJS0$>, > to steal a peek at both books! > __ > Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual > author > and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries > (AJL) > ================================== > Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: > hasaf...@lists.service.ohio-state.edu > To join Ha-Safran, update or change your subscription, etc. - click here: > https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran > Questions, problems, complaints, compliments send to: galro...@osu.edu > Ha-Safran Archives: > Current: > > https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran*40lists.service.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html__;JQ!!KGKeukY!jXpwypP1hWDBKl9n-FMQqtL1GodA0IQXOkK2dpryY8EXwpxBT7gqf2O7VZ1BaQQRZYE$ > > Earlier Listserver: > > https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran*40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html__;JQ!!KGKeukY!jXpwypP1hWDBKl9n-FMQqtL1GodA0IQXOkK2dpryY8EXwpxBT7gqf2O7VZ1Bdf2TUoI$ > > AJL HomePage > https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.JewishLibraries.org__;!!KGKeukY!jXpwypP1hWDBKl9n-FMQqtL1GodA0IQXOkK2dpryY8EXwpxBT7gqf2O7VZ1Bw2S_0do$ > > -- > Hasafran mailing list > Hasafran@lists.osu.edu > https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran >
__ Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) ================================== Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: hasaf...@lists.service.ohio-state.edu To join Ha-Safran, update or change your subscription, etc. - click here: https://lists.service.ohio-state.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran Questions, problems, complaints, compliments send to: galro...@osu.edu Ha-Safran Archives: Current: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.service.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html Earlier Listserver: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org -- Hasafran mailing list Hasafran@lists.osu.edu https://lists.osu.edu/mailman/listinfo/hasafran
