ABA Board Announces Diversity Initiatives Following Wi12 Town Hall

Ahead of the Winter Institute breakfast keynote on Monday, January 30, ABA President Betsy Burton praised the many booksellers who spoke on the subject of diversity at the previous day’s Town Hall meeting and announced two new diversity-related initiatives.

“That Town Hall meeting was amazing,” said Burton. “We heard things that needed to be said and in the best way possible. The Board has talked since that meeting and made a couple of decisions.”

The ABA Board is seeking to both convene a bookseller task force on the subject of diversity as well as to expand and make more inclusive the Booksellers Advisory Council.

Burton asked for recommendations of fellow booksellers who would be ideal for either the task force or to serve as members of the Booksellers Advisory Council.

Booksellers with suggestions can reach out to Burton directly, or contact any member of the Board; a list of Board members’ e-mail addresses is available on BookWeb.

Information about ABA’s 25-member Booksellers Advisory Council, which is designed to provide the Board with a broad cross-section of views from within the community of independent booksellers, is also available on BookWeb.

“I would really appreciate suggestions from all of you,” Burton stressed. “We are one organization and we want to be inclusive, and we’ll do everything we can to be so.”