Cultural humility urges us to engage in critical, consistent self-reflection and critique, being other-oriented, redressing power imbalances as vital to moving towards a more equitable and inclusive profession. Retention is not solely the responsibility of the individual, nor is mentoring going to singlehandedly aid in retention. Retention involves, strategic, intentional, and communal actions. It is active, not passive.

In this presentation, Twanna Hodge will provide an overview of cultural humility, explain its importance in librarianship, provide elements of a cultural humility framework, share retention strategies, and offer how cultural humility can be used as a retention strategy.

The panelists will each discuss their individual projects connected by the theme of uncovering marginalized voices in the archives

Jill Borin discusses the history of the Chester Civil Rights Movement and Chester NAACP activities by showcasing images and documents from the George Raymond Papers. George Raymond was the President of the Chester Branch of the NAACP for nearly 25 years, including during the turbulent, and sometimes violent, civil rights protests of the 1960s.

Brenda Galloway-Wright discusses Civil Rights in a Northern City: Philadelphia, a website which provides access to over 1,500 digitized primary source materials that engage with the complex and contentious history of the modern civil rights movement in Philadelphia. These primary materials are supplemented with thematic essays, timelines, and maps that supply historical context and underscore Philadelphia’s role in the national struggle for civil rights.

Vanesssa Ever's presentation, Lost & Found in the Archives - Holy Spirit, Library, Cabrini University, explores student-led organizations from the 1980’s and 1990’s at Cabrini University that paved the way for the current diversity initiatives. It also follows several racial incidents that took place on campus during the 80s/90s and the outcome. The presentation features images from the new yearbook digitization project and images from The Loquitur, Cabrini’s student newspaper.

Kayla Van Osten highlights important milestones of the LGBTQIA+ story at Widener University across several decades of its history from the LGBTQIA+ at Widener digital exhibit which launched in 2020. Kayla discusses controversial responses to the first Gay Student Alliance group in 1982 through current scholarship, positive initiatives, and celebrations of Widener's LGBTQIA+ community.