Now Accepting Nominations for ABA’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee (DEIC)

A huge thanks to long-time DEIC members Michelle Malonzo and Sarah Hollenbeck. Both Sarah and Michelle extended their terms of service to help transition a new committee last year and we are grateful to them for their many contributions during their tenure.

We are now opening nominations to fill Michelle and Sarah’s spots on ABA’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, which serves as a sounding board and advisory council on issues related to antiracism, equity, access, and representation facing the bookselling community and ABA.

Booksellers are invited to nominate themselves or another bookseller!

Nominations are due by 11:59 pm ET on  Monday, May 23, 2022 and will be reviewed the week of June 6, 2022 by current DEIC members and ABA staff who together will select two new members (and an alternate) to fill the empty seats. The DEIC serves an important role in ABA’s DEI work and members have had a significant impact on that work. The DEIC has also proven to be a pipeline to the ABA Board: three current ABA Board members served, or currently serve, on DEIC — Michelle Malonzo, Melanie Knight, and Angela María Spring.

DEIC members provide feedback about ABA programs and services as they are being developed; offer suggestions to help ABA improve programs and services to better serve diverse communities; help identify and respond to emerging threats and opportunities related to antiracism, equity, representation, and access in the industry; bring concerns of booksellers and bookstore owners to the ABA staff and Board; and generally assist ABA.

The DEIC is looking for individuals who represent different diverse identities. Some of those might include, but are not limited to:

Psychological, physical, and social differences that occur among any and all individuals; including but not limited to race, color, ethnicity, nationality, religion, socioeconomic status, veteran status, education, marital status, language, age, gender, gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation, mental or physical ability*, genetic information, and learning styles.

*Disability includes but is not limited to physical, sensory, cognitive, intellectual, developmental disabilities, chronic conditions, and mental illnesses (may also include addiction). This also includes a social model of disability, which presents disability as created by barriers in the social environment, due to lack of equal access, stereotyping, and other forms of marginalization.

ABA is also looking to create a committee as a whole that is representative of different types of diversity as listed above, as well as diversity of region, store size, and format.

A candidate for the DEIC committee:

• Is a part-time or full-time bookseller or bookstore owner at an ABA member bookstore (any format or model)
• Identifies with a diverse identity as defined above
• Has not served on the DEIC before
• Does not currently serve on the ABA Bookseller Advisory Council (BAC)
• Wants to help ABA support equity, inclusion, access, representation, and diversity for members and within the industry
• Is able to meet the time obligation (see below) and serve for two years
   

Nominees will be informed of final decisions by Wednesday, June 15, 2022. The first DEIC meeting with new members will take place Monday, August 1, 2022 at 2:00 pm ET.

For more information about the committee, please reach out to bookseller committee members collectively or individually, or contact ABA staff committee members CEO Allison Hill, CFO PK Sindwani, CCO Ray Daniels,  DEIA Membership Manager Elisa Thomas, or Meetings and Planning Coordinator María Rodríguez .

The DEIC time commitment is generally 60 minutes a week on average, including:

• A 60- or 90-minute Zoom meeting beginning at 2:00 pm ET the first Monday of every month
• Occasional emails asking for feedback
• Occasional assistance hosting ABA’s BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, Disability, and Neurodiverse affinity groups on Zoom
• Occasional attendance at prep or preview sessions for ABA programming with external speakers
• Input and/or participation in ABA’s Winter Institute and Children’s Institute (offering feedback on programming, working the DEIC booth, and/or participating in a panel)
• Generally serving as a resource, contact, and ABA liaison in support of diverse communities within ABA
• Potential in-person meeting once a year, in conjunction with a designated ABA event and paid for by ABA
   

NOMINATE NOW.