Black History Month Forgotten?

The Black History Month exhibit in the Gilroy Library kids’ section offers a colorful and robust collection of books on the accomplishments of Americans of African descent.

But it was mounted nearly halfway through the month-long national celebration of a once enslaved culture and only after a black Gilroy woman complained about the lack of an exhibit and then was offended by the library’s response.

The exhibit was hastily created last weekend after Sandy Haro, 55, raised the issue by phone and in person with Santa Clara County Library system officials in Gilroy and Campbell. Among them was Gilroy’s head librarian, Lani Yoshimura, who has been on the job more than 40 years.

Haro said Yoshimura told her she did not know the policy on such exhibits and would have someone from library headquarters respond.

“I want to know how we got to this point,” an upset Haro told the Dispatch on Tuesday. “I am offended by it and it’s an insult,” she said. “I have worked in customer service all my life. I would not let a customer leave without an answer whether it is in person or on the phone,” said Haro, a former beauty shop owner and ad salesperson, now retired from both.

Soon after, deputy county librarian Chris Brown called and emailed Haro. He also immediately instructed the Gilroy library staff to explore creation of an exhibit.

Brown said late Tuesday he believes the library system responded as soon as it knew there was an issue.

“I feel we really listened to what our community had to say and made sure we got a display up,” he told the Dispatch. Responding to community needs is what the libraries are all about, according to Brown.

For Haro, the larger issue is why a display was not up in the first place, and why she had to go through such effort before something was done.

“I honestly feel that Black History Month at the Gilroy Library was just blown off because it’s not a big deal to the city or library.

“I cannot speak for all black families, just for me and my family. But they had a whole month to acknowledge the accomplishments of black Americans. Every culture has contributed in one way or another, but it’s as if our people are not important enough,” Haro said.

Brown said the library district’s regular newsletter included BHM information as February approached to remind librarians and offered a book list and other resources for use in displays.

However, each head librarian decides how their library will, or will not, call attention to Black History Month, Brown said, and the same goes for other special events.

The library system has no policy that mandates any exhibit about or acknowledgement of wider cultural events or celebrations going on in the rest of the county, state or world, according to library officials. It welcomes a broad approach to such internally generated displays, often taking into consideration the community being served, they said.

Also, patrons are allowed to apply to set up their own exhibits in libraries, they said.

While the system does not require BHM displays, a search of the system’s website turned up a late-January article by supervising librarian Shoshana Francis about so-called Galentine’s Day.

Taken from the comedy TV show Parks and Recreation, it’s a so-far largely fictional day dreamed up by a character in the show, apparently gaining some traction in the real world, that sets aside a day before Valentine’s Day when women celebrate one another, or something like that.

The article on the library system website enthusiastically explains the whole phenomenon under the supportive and encouraging headline, “Celebrate Galentine’s Day.”

Indeed, in the comments section of the online article, Francis continued in the spirit of efforts to promote a real Galentine’s holiday for women in the nation, writing:

The county’s head librarian, Nancy Howe, did not return repeated calls for comment on the BHM issue.

In an email to Haro, Brown wrote:

“I feel very appreciative that you reached out to me, and a sense of concern about not having had up a Black History Month display.”

He then explained that his wife works at the Oakland Museum of California and offered Haro and her family free tickets to attend the Black Panthers exhibit at the museum. It was unclear if he was paying for the tickets or that they someone would be a gift of the museum or the library system.

He concluded, “Thank you again for reaching out [and] helping me understand how we could better serve you and your family.”

For her part, Gilroy librarian Yoshimura said of the lack of a month-long BHKM exhibit,  “I am not really sure what happened this year.”

She said the staff has mounted such exhibits in the past, but that things have changed recently.

“We are doing a lot of different displays than we did in the past … and now we change our displays regularly. It just depends on what is going on in our programs and the interests of the community,” she said, adding, “That is how decisions get made, we’ve had a lot of things going on.”

Another factor that plays into decisions, she said, is the makeup of the community, both in terms of the books in the library’s collection and exhibits mounted by staff.

Asked if the library’s adult area on the second floor has a BHM display, Yoshimura said Tuesday, days after the display went up in the children’s area, that she did not know. After inquiring, however, she said that, yes, there was a small display in the adult section of books related to BHM.

She said the staff needed something to replace a temporary exhibit about Valentine’s Day and picked BHM. It’s in an area of small, rapidly changing displays, she said, such as ones for best-selling books.

Yoshimura said that the small display went up before Haro raised her concerns, a claim refuted by Haro late Tuesday.

“I was upstairs and I asked the staff member did she know, so she would have told me or pointed me to the [display] and she did not,” Haro said after hearing of Yoshimura claim. “Nobody knew,” Haro continued. “When I called back that same day to speak with Lani, she did not know herself,” Haro said.

“I believe there would not be a display if I did not ask about it and spoke to Chris Brown the deputy librarian,” Haro said. “Nothing would be up today.”