Just when you think the equality and diversity police can’t get any madder, they do. Now it transpires that libraries across Wales have been told to become ‘anti-racist’ in the devolved Labour government’s bid to ‘eradicate’ systemic racism by 2030 – with librarians urged not to hold meetings in ‘racist’ buildings by decolonisation training experts. It turns out that Welsh library workers are being educated – as part of a £130,000 ‘anti-racist library collections’ project – in ‘critical whiteness studies’. These aim to help staff understand the ‘dominant paradigm of whiteness’ besides other issues, as part of the Welsh government’s 2022 Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan. Crikey…
The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals released documents that outline how best libraries can embrace ‘anti-racist principles’, with one guide advising staffers attending training meetings: ‘Be mindful of the venue and if you have a choice, do not choose a venue that represents a racist legacy.’ If, however, using a ‘racist’ building is unavoidable, the venue booking guide tells its readers solemnly: ‘Acknowledge this as early as possible to demonstrate your commitment to systemic issues.’ It added: ‘You can even acknowledge historical context in the event invitation.’ But that’s not all of it. The guidance even proposes the provision of ‘vegetarian and vegan options only’ in order to ‘support any decarbonisation or net zero goals of your organisation’. Talk about going the whole hog, eh?
And if anti-racism coaches were concerned about curating this list of potentially problematic venues, fear not! Existing research conducted by the Welsh government in 2021 has already demarcated troublesome locations and monuments linked to colonialism – including those relating to Admiral Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and Francis Drake. A primary school in Anglesey, named after Welsh poet Goronwy Owen, was flagged up because the writer owned slaves. Meanwhile an entire village – Nelson in Caerphilly – was singled out in a draft version of the 2021 audit. You couldn’t make it up…
Is Wales the wokest country in Britain? It certainly has a competitive edge…
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