The Dee J. Kelly Law Library at Texas A&M School of Law in Fort Worth launches its first anti-racism research guide early August. The collection houses over 400 resources that "will help users learn more about anti-racism and how to become anti-racism allies and accomplices."
Malikah Hall, assistant professor and reference librarian, leads the reference team amassing the growing collection of e-books, law journals, podcasts, TEDTalks, videos and more. A member of the law school's Diversity Council, Hall studied what other law schools, graduate schools and even children's libraries had available for their constituents. These discoveries led to the gathering of resources originating from the diverse sources the guide champions.
"I have to applaud our faculty for supporting and seeing this as important work. We agree that we are in the business of creating compassionate lawyers," says Hall.
The reference team's efforts took about 30 days to compile, and great care is taken to make sure the resources are in formats that may be consumed remotely, given this "unique, post-Covid" time. There is also emphasis placed on including items that may help instructors and facilitators feel more confident in their interactions with people of color.
According to library director and professor Lisa Goodman, the guide has a legal emphasis but may be useful to those outside of the discipline. She encourages community members to visit the Dee J. Kelly Law website and click on this specific resource guide.
"The video section starts and ends with John Lewis, an American icon," Hall says. "Get in and learn."
