MELA Social Justice Lecture Series 2021

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The Middle East Librarians Association (MELA)'s Social Justice Committee's Lecture Series (https://bit.ly/MELASJSeries) aims to increase awareness of social justice principles in our professional practice and to bring attention to how libraries and archives are supporting or failing to support, crucial research on social justice-related topics. The first season featured ten scholars speaking on race in the Middle East and its diasporas, and we were able to provide honorariums for our speakers and closed captioning for our audiences, which averaged around 100 per lecture from around the world, thanks to generous donations to our GoFundMe campaign. 

In this second season of the lecture series, we will explore whether libraries, archives, and other cultural institutions holding Middle East collections can be “neutral” spaces-- and if not, what should be their role? 

We are seeking donations for this season so that we can continue to offer honorariums for our speakers. In addition, because we intend to invite librarians, archivists, and other cultural heritage workers from around the world to speak, we would like to be able to provide simultaneous translation services so that we are not limited to English speakers.