Clarification to October LW article “AAMLA Recruits, Retains and Advocates for African American Male Librarians”

By Alonzo W. Hill, AAMLA President

This letter is an honest attempt to clear any confusion that may have surfaced since the publication of an article by African American Male Librarian Association (AAMLA) board member Raphael Jackson in ALA-APA’s October 2010 issue.  Mr. Jackson’s article, entitled “AAMLA Recruits, Retains and Advocates for African American Male Librarians,” made statements that are inaccurate and which were not approved by AAMLA.

First of all, we are not affiliated with the BCALA, nor do we have members in 50 states. Although we empathize with Mr. Raphael Jackson’s historical references and statements, they are not our (AAMLA’s) statements, nor what we represent.  Although the article presents some points that are in opposition to AAMLA foundation, we support Secretary Jackson. Below you shall find a sanctioned explanation of what the AAMLA is all about.

African-American Male Librarians Association:

AAMLA Determined to Increase African American Male Presence in 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 fewer than six hundred out of the one hundred and ten thousand degreed librarians.

The members of AAMLA view this disproportion as a crisis and began coming together in the early part of September of 2010. AAMLA’s president Alonzo W. 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.”

For more information on AAMLA, contact Bobby Walter at     (313)401-5013   or at walt24seven@hotmail.com.

Current Officers

• President — Alonzo W. Hill, Team Librarian, Flint, Michigan

• Vice-President — Michael E. Owens, Manager of the Ralph Ellison Library in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

• Secretary — Raphael D. Jackson, Reference librarian intern at Florida A&M College of Law in Orlando, Florida

• Treasurer — Richard E. Ashby, Jr., Supervisor of Library Operations at Wyandanch Public Library in Wyandanch, New York

• Public Relations — Marcellaus A. Joiner, Digital Project Archivist with Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina

• Historian — Derek Mosley, M.L.S. Archive Management Candidate, Simmons College, Boston, Maryland and

• Membership Officer — Bobby Walter, Librarian, Detroit, Michigan

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