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Hey @PhillyMayor, by now you’ve seen all the ways @FreeLibrary Board President Pamela Dembe has proven herself unsuitable to lead FLP in any capacity. Shall we count the ways?
In a display of pure laziness & racism, Dembe said in 2019: “The Foundation Board is less diverse & its effort to expand are hampered by the fact that people who join that board are expected to make a very significant financial commitment.”
Skipping ahead: By 7/19/20, CBWFLP had only received responses to their open letters from the 2 Black co-chairs of the Board of Trustees DEI subcommittee & Siobhan. As soon as non-Black workers wrote in support of CBWFLP, Dembe responded within 2 days.
But her letter contained no concrete, actionable steps addressing the demands of CBWFLP & she wrote in full support of Reardon against the advice of the diversity consulting firm hired by the library & without input from other Board members. https://billypenn.com/2020/07/23/free-library-director-siobhan-reardon-has-resigned/
Dembe has made no effort to reflect on her anti-Black behavior & views. By conflating “cancel culture” with calls for accountability within admin & the Boards, we see how dismissive Dembe is of workers’ needs. https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/philadelphia-free-library-race-20200724.html
During the Board of Trustees meeting, Dembe made clear she has no idea how hard library staff have been working since March. She thinks we are closed & providing no services, & used scare tactics to make us fear for our jobs & safety to hasten reopening plans.
Specifically, she placed the blame at the feet of the city, claiming with no additional context or authority that the city will begin slashing jobs & benefits of workers not on site. Response to that, @PhillyMayor?
Dembe openly said that creating a safe & equitable library must take a “back seat” to reopening plans, revealing that she does not understand how the 2 are intrinsically linked.
Dembe is unwilling to even recognize that safe reopening must go hand in hand with equity. Black frontline staff face an even greater risk under her leadership. https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-free-library-board-meeting-pamela-dembe-20200728.html
Dembe actively works against the interests of Black FLP workers & Philly communities. She is unable to imagine the ways we can protect Black & Brown workers & continue to creatively provide services to our communities while maintaining everybody’s safety during the pandemic.
Dembe’s support of Reardon means she supports 12 years of dwindling $$ for FLP services & materials, an embarrassing lack of tech to support our communities, crumbling branches, dangerously low staffing, & a racist, inequitable culture pervasive throughout the library.
. @PhillyMayor, we have the opportunity to start building a NEW @FreeLibrary that invests in Black & Brown workers, whose leadership consists of people with actual library experience, with materials, services, & tech that rival those of our peers. See how Dembe stands in the way?
See how Pamela Dembe stands in the way of progress at FLP? @CMMarkSquilla @CouncilmemberKJ @CouncilmemberJG @Mr4thDistrict @Darrell_Clarke @BobbyHenon @MariaQSanchez @cindybassphilly
See how Pamela Dembe stands in the way of progress at FLP? @CherelleParker9 @ONeill4NEPhilly @KendraPHL @TeamDomb @CouncilmanDerek @CouncilwomanKGR @HelenGymAtLarge @DavidOhPhilly @CMThomasPHL
See how Pamela Dembe stands in the way of progress at FLP? @chris_arlene @Sade_Ola_Lewis @mustafarashed @suzsimons @MelissaGrimmy @philjaurigue @geoffreykent
