When Leadership Falls Short: The Crisis of Care in Library Work
Posted on in Blog Posts
A TIE Retrospective
Looking Back on the 15 Most-Read Pieces Since 2021
Posted on March 26, 2026 in Blog Posts
Five years ago this week, Choice launched Toward Inclusive Excellence (TIE) to serve as an informational hub where academic librarians and information professionals could share insights on DEIA and learn from one another about best practices. In honor of TIE‘s anniversary, we have compiled the 15 most-read pieces from the last five years. We hope these pieces offer renewed insights, renewed motivation to continue the difficult work of carrying out DEIA initiatives, or even inspiration to write for TIE!
Stuck in the Middle With You
July 19, 2023
by Alexia Hudson-Ward
Many people older than me warned me of the moment I would be confronted with the reality of my aging. Some told me it may come out of nowhere. It happened a few weeks ago.
While driving around my neighborhood on a bright, sunny day, I was struck by the sight of deejays dressed in 1980s hip-hop gear walking into an elder care facility. I could not stop staring. Like a ton of bricks, the reality hit me that people who were in their 20s and 30s at the time of the advent of hip-hop are now in their 70s and 80s. I understood this intellectually before that moment. Yet, there was something about seeing the visual of party deejays dressed as Run DMC walking into a care facility that hit me hard that day. I was finally shaken out of my stupor by a politely tooting car horn urging me to drive or pull over.
Two Black Women University Presidents Have Died, Spurring Heartrending Accounts of Workplace Discrimination
September 27, 2023
by Alexia Hudson-Ward
Last week, the unexpected deaths of two Black women university presidents—Joanne A. Epps of Temple University and Dr. Orinthia T. Montague of Volunteer State Community College—sent shockwaves throughout higher education. While the causes of death for both leaders have yet to be revealed, understandably so, many people speculate that stress led to their untimely passings.
Resources for Understanding the Ethical Implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
December 5, 2023
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a topic on everyone’s mind. From ALA’s Annual Conference to the halls of Congress and even the White House, everyone seems to have an opinion on this technology and, moreover, intense worry about what it portends for the future. Alongside the need for regulations on AI, there are also complex ethical implications involved with this issue. Ahead of TIE‘s webinar “Inclusive and Ethical AI for Academic Libraries,” this resource list is intended to expand the discussion on the ethical implications and potential shortfalls of different AI technologies while enabling readers to envision more ethical outcomes.
The Life and Times of Diamond and Silk Underscores the Tragic Human Impact of Disinformation
January 12, 2023
by Alexia Hudson-Ward
This week, the world learned of the unexpected death of Lynnette “Diamond” Hardaway from a social media announcement by former President Donald Trump. Hardaway was a part of the political commentary duo Diamond and Silk. Rochelle “Silk” Richardson first shared news of Hardaway’s declining medical condition through Twitter on November 22, 2022. While it is alleged that Hardaway’s death was the result of COVID-19 complications, the official cause has yet to be released at the time of this posting.
A Tale of Two Inkwell Beaches
August 3, 2023
by Alexia Hudson-Ward
Toward Inclusive Excellence has previously published a few stories about the need to preserve Black resort towns and the Indigenous and Black history of Martha’s Vineyard. Many of you reached out asking to learn more about the hidden history of BIPOC leisure and recreation, and how systemic racism plays a role in over-monitoring BIPOCs in natural spaces and gentrifying communities. In the coming weeks and months, we will explore these topics further.
A Major Corporation Attempted to Trademark Juneteenth
June 16, 2022
by Alexia Hudson-Ward
Sometimes I feel like I live in an “upside-down” world as many things are happening that defy logic. It is not logical, for instance, that billionaires pay lower tax rates than teachers in the United States. It is also not logical for a group of white neo-Nazis to pack themselves into a U-Haul truck with the alleged intention of disrupting a joyous Pride festival. It makes no sense to me that 18-year-olds are allowed to purchase weapons of war for “recreational use.” I could go on and on.
Carrying through the theme of highlighting the illogical, I would love for someone to help me understand why any corporation was allowed to trademark “Juneteenth” by the United States Patent and Trademark Office and reportedly held onto said trademark for nearly one year?
America’s First Black President: A New Biography Considers Barack Obama’s Legacy
December 31, 2024
by Duncan R. Jamieson
Claude A. Clegg III (Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) is the author of An Original Man: The Life and Times of Elijah Muhammad (1997), The Price of Liberty: African Americans and the Making of Liberia (2004), and Troubled Ground: A Tale of Murder, Lynching, and Reckoning in the New South (2010). In The Black President he sets out to explore the “Obama White House years, specifically how they were witnessed, experienced, and interpreted by African Americans” (p. x). In the process, Clegg “captures the America that made Obama’s White House years possible, while also rendering the America that resolutely resisted the idea of a Black chief executive” (p. xi).
Preserving the Indigenous and African American Heritage of Martha’s Vineyard
August 9, 2022
by Alexia Hudson-Ward
Each summer, the population of Martha’s Vineyard, a small island off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, swells from a modest 17,000 people to more than 200,000 visitors and residents. August boasts the island’s highest occupancy rate, as it brings several activities and traditions, including the annual Grand Illumination night, the Black women’s Polar Bear plunge (paywalled), and the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival. Celebrities and political luminaries such as former President Bill Clinton and comedian Larry David are frequently spotted enjoying island life in towns like Vineyard Haven, Oak Bluffs, and Edgartown. Former President Barack Obama and his family loved visiting Martha’s Vineyard so much while he was in office that they purchased a 29-acre compound in Edgartown.
TIE Talks with Martha Jones
March 5, 2025
This TIE Talks features returning guest Dr. Martha S. Jones, Society of Black Alumni Presidential Professor, Professor of History, and Professor at the SNF Agora Institute at The Johns Hopkins University. Martha joins TIE Talks to discuss her new book, The Trouble of Color: An American Family Memoir. With several historical nonfiction titles under her belt, Martha turned to memoir to trace her family’s history along the “jagged color line.” Using oral histories, letters, photographs, and family heirlooms, she goes beyond “official” archival documents to chronicle her family’s history of enslavement, evading anti-miscegenation laws, and leadership at the historically Black liberal arts college Bennett College. By looking at her family’s past, Martha seeks to understand her own Black identity and how her ancestors touched and crossed America’s color line. In the interview, Martha explains her decision to write a memoir, how her Black Studies academic background aided the research process, and her advice for pursuing historical family research as a Black or mixed-race scholar.
Diversifying Collections: A Path to Building Inclusive Libraries
December 3, 2024
by Jamia Williams
In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the importance of diversifying library collections to better serve and represent all members of our communities. This movement goes beyond adding a few token diverse titles, requiring a comprehensive collection development and management approach.
“Quiet Luxury” Has a Bigoted Undercurrent Despite Being Inspired by a Black Woman’s Quote
June 15, 2023
by Alexia Hudson-Ward
Recently, I’ve seen several social media videos and postings on the so-called “quiet luxury movement.” With a deep throated sigh, I look forward to the day in which every socio-cultural phenomenon that trends in social media is not labeled a “movement.” Yet, I don’t want this thought digression to weigh down my reflections on this notion of “quiet” versus “loud” luxury.
Resources to Understand Free Speech vs. Hate Speech
January 18, 2024
There have been many controversies in the news recently centering on free speech, with much of the discourse concentrated on college campuses in particular. However, as is likely clear to TIE readers, this issue affects not only higher education but every sector of our democratic society. In thinking about our enshrined civil liberties, it is also important to consider distinctions between free speech and hate speech. With that in mind, the following resources are intended to help readers ponder these differences and consider varied approaches to protecting freedom of speech.
Queen Charlotte Illuminates Mental Health and Racial Marginalization
May 11, 2023
by Alexia Hudson-Ward
I binge-watched Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (a prequel to Bridgerton) on Netflix last weekend as a respite from the bad news flooding my social media feeds. I had only viewed one or two episodes of Bridgerton previously, so I had very little knowledge of how the Queen Charlotte character is presented within that story arc. Yet, I was intrigued by the prequel and am glad that I gave it a chance. I recommend the series for a few reasons I detail below.
More Than a Study Spot: How Libraries Foster Belonging
January 7, 2025
by Jamia Williams
The concept of belonging has emerged as a key focus in discussions surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion. As Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey highlight in their paper “What Does It Mean to Belong?”, Stanford researcher Geoffrey Cohen defines belonging as “the feeling that we’re part of a larger group that values, respects, and cares for us—and to which we feel we have something to contribute” in his book Belonging (2022). But what does this mean within the context of academic libraries?
Gender Assumptions
June 17, 2025
by Stephen Krueger
While taking a course on web accessibility recently, I was jarred by the way the audio description and alt text examples assumed gender: the people in the videos and images were described as women or men—or once, for no apparent reason apart from perhaps the presence of a corduroy blazer, as “a gentleman”—with “she” or “he” pronouns, seemingly chosen based on to appearance. (It’s possible they asked every person in every video or image to self-identify before creating the descriptions, but I rather doubt it.) I am not an expert on that topic, though others are, and it is a compelling rabbit hole—I am currently resisting the urge to stay up too late reading a gender studies thesis and an academic article on TV show audio descriptions and gender instead of writing this blog post. The accessibility course is simply one example of what I want to highlight: the ways assumptions about gender show up in library work.
Interested in contributing to TIE? Send an email to Fatima at Choice (fmohie-eldin@ala.org) with your topic idea.
Header image is a detail of This is Harlem by Jacob Lawrence. Courtesy of Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. © 2021 The Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation, Seattle / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. For more information, click here.