IL
Martin, R., McCann, H., Morales, M.,
& Williams, S. (2013). White Screen/White Noise: Racism and the Internet. Urban
Library Journal, 19(1), 1-12. Retrieved from: http://web.a.ebscohost.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/ehost/detail?vid=7&sid=4b873570-1fef-4067-881d-aaa130e04897%40sessionmgr4005&hid=4104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=llf&AN=93739851
Summary:
This article
examines the power of the Internet to spread information and issues of racism
and censorship. Several significant examples illustrate the problem of the
perpetuation of racist attitudes, speech, and imagery on the internet. The
article also explores the librarian’s role to counteract racist messages and
how critical race consciousness can improve library services in person and
online.
One significant
example that was most compelling explained a problem that I personally had
while trying to research teen interest magazines for Latina and African
American girls to purchase for my library. The problem I had was that on school
computers, any time I entered either of the above-mentioned terms for a search
with “girl” or “teen,” the filter blocked access. The article references the
same process as an experiment conducted by a teacher with her students to
demonstrate how the Internet perpetuates the hypersexualization of Latina and
African American girls across media formats.
Another
example was the posting of photographs by a white supremacist group intended to
malign Trayvon Martin’s character and reputation after his murder. The
photographs were then re-posted by major news outlets. The failure to check
facts or question sources demonstrates the casual reinforcement of racial
stereotypes that is a click away.
Lack of
moderation of posted comments is another significant example of hate speech
that is perpetuated on the Internet. Several more examples are given to show the
use of the Internet as a tool of oppression to clearly explain this problem
from the perspective of the user.
For
librarians, there are contributing problems. The article notes a lack of open
discourse about racism in LIS programs with a preference for use of less
controversial terms, multiculturalism and diversity. In addition, many programs
lack courses that directly address issues of racism, oppression, and privilege.
This article
explores in detail the courses of action that librarians can take to preserve
the free access to information and to protect and educate young people who are
vulnerable to overt and subtle racist messages on the Internet. The authors focus
on solutions, recognizing the power of the Internet and Web 2.0 tools for
learning. They also reiterate that learning in any environment cannot be
separated from cultural norms, so it is the responsibility of the librarian to
directly challenge those norms that are oppressive. Here is a list of their
suggestions for librarians.
- · Acquire and teach digital literacy, along with the new skills that separate it from traditional information literacy
- · Use critical race consciousness as another tool to evaluate online resources
- · Become more aware of exclusive language and subtle racist messages on the Internet through anti-racist training
- · Use and promote the Internet with users as a tool for equity and social justice (for example, http://www.communitychangeinc.org/content/civil-rights-movement-oral-histories-personal-accounts).
- · Make collection decisions around needs of users
- · Teach users (especially young people) to critically evaluate web resources past superficial checklist levels
§ A domain that ends in .org does not
necessarily mean it is reliable
§ Recognize bias and how it influences
the understanding of information, both positively and negatively
§ Search engine rankings indicate
nothing about the reliability of a website or its relevance to a search
I highly
recommend reading this article for librarians who serve young people of color
and have a deep concern for enacting equity and social justice in their
libraries.
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