Posters in the Library
I study in the microforms room in the library. The room is decorated with posters of various UN activities. There is one poster which is from the "World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance," that was held in Durban, South Africa in August of 2001. Anyone who knew how to read at the time knows what transpired at that event. It turned into an anti-Semitic - Israel bashing hatefest. The US and Israel ended up withdrawing from the conference. So, I sit in this room everyday and think if I should say something to the dean about the poster. After all they would never hang a poster from a Klan rally on the wall. Yesterday, it was kind of bugging me and I needed a study break so I sent the dean this email:
Dear Dean B,
I study in the microforms room in the basement. It seems that all the posters in the room have a UN theme; which I have no problem with. However, there is one poster from the UN World Conference against Racism (racial discrimination, Xenophobia, and Racial Intolerance) in Durban South Africa which hangs on the north wall that I do have a problem with. I don't know if you are familiar with what happened at that conference; but it turned into an anti Semitic hatefest where the theme of much of the conference was "Zionism is Racism." At the time this was deemed the modern day Wannsee Conference; as copies of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion were sold at the conference. Fliers circulated the conference depicting Hitler with the question of "What if I had won?" The United States withdrew from the conference because of the organizers failure to stop the anti-Semitic tone of the conference.
I think having that poster in the library (even though it's only in the microforms room) shows ignorance that the Law Center would promote a conference that spewed hate and bigotry. A holocaust survivor once said "the road to Auschwitz was paved with apathy." I think the ignorance on the library's behalf to hang this poster is disconcerting to me as a Jew. I assume that if a poster is hung on a wall in the law school; the law school believes that it has an important message to relay. I believe that it is the law school's responsibility be informed and follow up when publicizing conferences such as these to insure that the conference served the stated purpose.
Thank you for your time,
Lucy
This was her repsonse:
Thank you for your comments. I don't believe any of the posters were chosen to give offense and all came from our selection of materials provided by either the United Nations or the U.S. government depository library programs. I am alerting the librarians involved in the selection to your unhappiness with the selection, and we will get back to you.
She obviously missed the point it doesn't matter where the posters came from. It matters that the law school was ignorant enough to put them on their walls.
I am in the microforms room now and about five minutes ago a librarian came in the room, took the poster off the wall and walked out. I was utterly impressed. I will wait until Monday to send a thank you letter to the dean, as I want to make surdoesn'tposter doesnt pop up on any other walls around here.
Dear Dean B,
I study in the microforms room in the basement. It seems that all the posters in the room have a UN theme; which I have no problem with. However, there is one poster from the UN World Conference against Racism (racial discrimination, Xenophobia, and Racial Intolerance) in Durban South Africa which hangs on the north wall that I do have a problem with. I don't know if you are familiar with what happened at that conference; but it turned into an anti Semitic hatefest where the theme of much of the conference was "Zionism is Racism." At the time this was deemed the modern day Wannsee Conference; as copies of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion were sold at the conference. Fliers circulated the conference depicting Hitler with the question of "What if I had won?" The United States withdrew from the conference because of the organizers failure to stop the anti-Semitic tone of the conference.
I think having that poster in the library (even though it's only in the microforms room) shows ignorance that the Law Center would promote a conference that spewed hate and bigotry. A holocaust survivor once said "the road to Auschwitz was paved with apathy." I think the ignorance on the library's behalf to hang this poster is disconcerting to me as a Jew. I assume that if a poster is hung on a wall in the law school; the law school believes that it has an important message to relay. I believe that it is the law school's responsibility be informed and follow up when publicizing conferences such as these to insure that the conference served the stated purpose.
Thank you for your time,
Lucy
This was her repsonse:
Thank you for your comments. I don't believe any of the posters were chosen to give offense and all came from our selection of materials provided by either the United Nations or the U.S. government depository library programs. I am alerting the librarians involved in the selection to your unhappiness with the selection, and we will get back to you.
She obviously missed the point it doesn't matter where the posters came from. It matters that the law school was ignorant enough to put them on their walls.
I am in the microforms room now and about five minutes ago a librarian came in the room, took the poster off the wall and walked out. I was utterly impressed. I will wait until Monday to send a thank you letter to the dean, as I want to make surdoesn'tposter doesnt pop up on any other walls around here.
posted by Lucy @ 6:14 PM
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