Dear LAAC Community:

As a genocide in Palestine unfolds at this very moment, we look to history to remind us that the root of violence is injustice. We grieve with our Palestinian and Jewish communities for all lives lost, and we stand in solidarity with the liberation of Palestine. Support of the Palestinian people is not antisemitism. It is urgent to be informed and intentional about the narratives we share.

As archivists, it is our duty to preserve history, provide access to evidence, and promote social awareness. As such, we are compelled to acknowledge the historical context underlying the violence in Palestine today. History shows us that this violence did not start on October 7th, 2023. It emerged from 75 years of occupation, apartheid, and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people by the settler colonial state of Israel.

So, to serve our collective learning and liberation, we offer a list of resources, some of which are archives specific and some of which are not.

We add our voices to those of activists, students, and people from all faiths and walks of life speaking out against the ongoing genocide. As information workers, we also express our concern at the rising number of cases of censorship and the stifling of free speech about Palestine and Palestinian human rights. We unequivocally uphold our right to freedom of speech and protection from censorship and harassment.

Collectively, we can use our skills and knowledge to cut through campaigns of misinformation, which we recognize as the manifestation of racism and Islamophobia. Spread awareness on social media. Protect each other during protests by blurring faces in photos to keep identities private. Donate funds, sign petitions, and call your representatives.

LAAC is committed to dismantling systems of oppression, white supremacy, and colonialism everywhere.

In solidarity, 

Los Angeles Archivists Collective Leadership

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RESOURCES

Archival & Library Organizations

• Librarians and Archivists with Palestine is a network of self-defined librarians, archivists, and information workers in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for self-determination.
• Palestinian Libraries are a focus of the Social Responsibilities Round Table within the American Library Association (ALA).

Reading Lists:

• Readings and Resources from Librarians and Archivists with Palestine
• Palestinian Youth Movement Reading List

Local Archives: 

• Los Angeles Contemporary Archive and Palestine Book Club LA organize monthly meetings to “unpack both the history of the region as well as the lived realities of those caught up within it.”
• UCLA and the Palestinian Museum Digital Archive is an independent institution that presents primary sources and perspectives on Palestinian history, society, and culture.

Virtual Archives: 

• The Nakba Archive is a grassroots oral history collective that records and commemorates the experiences of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon who lived through the Nakba, or Palestinian expulsion of 1948.
• The Palestine Museum Digital Archive collects and digitizes endangered materials that shed light on the different aspects of Palestinian life, history, and legacy.
• Palestinian Oral History Archive (POHA) at American University of Beirut is a project to preserve and provide access to oral histories of first-generation Palestinians and other Palestinian communities in Lebanon.

Donations:

• Palestine Red Crescent Society is a member of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies providing healthcare and humanitarian assistance to Palestine.
• Palestine Children's Relief Fund provides free medical care to injured and ill children who lack local access to care within the local health care system.

Actions: 

• US Campaign for Palestinian Rights offers resources and strategic support for local organizers, activists, and policymakers in solidarity with Palestine.
• Jewish Voice for Peace is a grassroots movement led by Jewish Americans in solidarity with the Palestinian freedom struggle.