AAMLA
African American Male Librarians Association
Purpose of AAMLA: To recruit, retain and advocate for one another within the library profession.
Mission Statement:
The AAMLA is an organization that is geared toward recruiting, retaining, and restructuring how we operate as individual librarians, so we can operate as a collective, network and lastly a beacon that will provide and ensure that we are successful with our endeavors as professional librarians.
Founding State: Michigan AAMLA OFFICERS FOR 2010-2012 richardashby@literacynation.com ListServ Administrator and Newsletter Editor Yes Publishing Group
Motto: "Different Paths, One Goal"
Colors: Black and Burgundy
African American Male Librarians Association
"AAMLA Determined to increase the African American Male’s presence in the library field"
What is AAMLA? AAMLA is a group of African American male librarians who have come together under the understanding that as a specific ethnic and gender group within the field of librarianship faces extinction a concerted effort is needed to recruit and retain more African American males. Currently within the field of librarianship, the African American male represents less than one percent of the total US librarian population. Therefore, as African-American men, we total less than six hundred out of the one hundred and ten thousand degreed librarians. The members of AAMLA view this as a crisis and began coming together in the early part of September of 2010. AAMLA’s president Alonzo Hill states it this way -- “The AAMLA is an organization that is geared toward recruiting, retaining, and restructuring how we operate as individual librarians, so we can operate as a collective, network and lastly a beacon that will provide and ensure that we are successful with our endeavors as professional librarians.” The President’s view reinforces the need for action. AAMLA is a collective body which affirms its duty to create an organization that has the sole mission of recruiting, and mentoring African American Males. AAMLA’s Vice President, Michael Eric Owens, conveys it this way -- “Out of our self-determination, we have created an Association that represents and speaks uniquely to the experiences of African-American male librarians. We endeavor to unite all black male librarians in our industry for the sole purpose of empowering the least among us. Our desire was not born out of ill will toward any organization, but out of sheer determination to chart our own course.”
President -- Alonzo W. Hill, M.L.I.S. (Michigan)
Vice President -- Michael E. Owens, M.L.I.S. (Oklahoma)
Secretary -- Raphael D. Jackson, M.L.S. (Kentucky)
Treasurer- webmaster -- Richard E. Ashby Jr., M.L.S. (New York)
Public Relations -- Marcellaus A. Joiner, M.L.S. (North Carolina)
Membership Officer -- Bobby Walter, M.L.I.S. (Michigan)
Historian -- Derek Mosley, M.L.S. (Massachusetts)
Alan R. Bailey, M.L.S. (North Carolina) BAILEYA@ECU.EDU
Dear Participant,
For the first time in history, we have elected a black president. President Obama’s election symbolizes a Dialectical change in American society. Although the change at times seems more like a regression, I Believe change has come to our great country. The President’s ascension to the oval office has givenVoice too many people; however, the black male voice remains silent. It also appears that whenever the President addresses racial issues; he is verbally attacked and criticized for his viewpoint. This effort by The social pundits silence, yet again, the black male voice. The political, social, and economic dilemmas Of our day are void of black male input. It is for these reasons I am inviting you to participate in “Words To a President.” You have been chosen because of your expertise, dedication, passion, and commitment to family, faith, and community. Your President needs to hear your voice. To participate, you will need to write a 2-3 page letter to President Obama expressing your thoughts on a topic of your choosing. Whether it’s family, religion, education, unemployment, poverty, crime, etc., we want to give the United States President our viewpoint. President Obama has been forthright and Says he reads every night, so we want him to read our words – words that have not been filtered or Altered by systemic forces, but which grant him the opportunity to hear the unadulterated voice of the American black male, let’s make history by telling him our stories, and one day when our children’s Children study this era, they will find our words which defined the moment from a black male Perspective, Included with your letter should be a personal biography, a photo and the release form The consummation of our work will be an Anthology titled “Words to a President.”
Deadline: June 15, 2011
Please send letter via email to mowens@ncu.edu and the mail letter release form to 1208 SE 16th Street Moore, OK 73160
Thank you for your participation,
Michael Eric Owens
Adjunct Professor, North central University
Vice-President, AAMLA