Embedded Files
2025
California Library Association Conference 2025
Induction of Shirley Coaston to the California Library Hall of Fame.
2024
California Library Association Conference 2024
CLA inducts founding leaders of CLBC, Dr. James E. Crayton and the late Joyce Madkins Sumbi, as two of the 2024 inductees into the California Library Hall of Fame. (Click here for press release.)
[photo/gallery]
SJSU iSchool’s Celebration of Juneteenth --Standing Up forFreedom, June 6, 2024
Welcome, featuring Dr. Anthony Chow, PhD, Professor and Director, SJSU iSchool, and Carolyn F. Norman, California Librarians Black Caucus, President and Library Consultant
Moderator: Nichole Brown, Librarian II, Oakland Public Library and Treasurer, California Library Association,
Featured Speaker: Binnie Tate Wilkin, Writer, Poet, Consultant and Professional Storyteller, STANDING TALL FOR FREEDOM, Spotlighting African American Librarians
Panel Discussion: Jené D. Brown, Director of Emerging Technologies and Collections, Los Angeles Public Library; Richard Ashby Jr.
2023
California Library Association Conference 2023
In celebration of its 50th anniversary, CLBC held a program, titled “Sankofa Panel Looking Back to Bring Wisdom Forward,” providing a historical review of the organization and a look to the future for the organization and California Black American library and information professionals.
[photo/gallery]
2019
California Library Association Conference 2019
Induction of Binnie Tate Wilkin to the California Library Hall of Fame.
June 15, 2019 - Juneteenth Celebration at AC Bilbrew Library
LA County Library’s African American Resource Center celebrates Juneteenth at AC Bilbrew Library with Binnie Tate Wilkin, storyteller.
This 2019 Juneteenth celebration is dedicated to the memory of Librarian Louise Parsons, former African American Resource Center Librarian, and a tribute was presented by California Librarians Black Caucus.
Binnie Tate Wilkin - Photo by Mary Yogi / LA County Library
2018
California Library Association Conference 2018
Induction of Betty Blackman to the California Library Hall of Fame.
[photo/gallery]
2017
California Library Association Conference 2017
Induction of Effie Lee Morris to the California Library Hall of Fame
[photo/gallery]
2012
California Library Association Conference 2012
Induction of Miriam Matthews to the California Library Hall of Fame.
[photo/gallery]
March 2002 - CLBC co-sponsors Frances Clarke Sayers Lecture at UCLA on March 3, 2002. The lecture featured award-winning author, Walter Dean Myers. In addition, CLBC offered to collect donations on behalf of author Virginia Hamiliton, who passed away the previous month.
1999
July 19-20, 1999 - The 1999 BCALA conference was the 4th National Conference of African American Librarians (NCAAL), held in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Pictures:
(1) From left to right: Rudy Streeter, Binnie Tate Wilkin, Clay Wilkin
(2) From left to right: Binnie Tate Wilkin, Louise Parsons, Suzanne Johnson, Joyce Livingston, Maggie Johnson, Eloise Logan, Joanne Eldridge
February 20, 1999 - A California Librarians Black Caucus event, supported by UCLA GSE&IS on Career Strategies for Librarians in the Next Millennium: A Panel Discussion of Issues Affecting Career Choices, Promotion, & Education
The panel was composed of professionals from the various dimensions of librarianship: public, academic, professional associations, and education, offered their perspectives on the current state and the future of libraries, the employment market, diversity issues, and choices for career enhancement.
Panelists included:
Jacqueline Ayala, President, Reforma
Betty Blackman, Dean, University Library, CSU Dominguez Hills
Debra Hansen, Associate Director, School of Library and Information Science, San Jose State University, Southern California Campus (CSU Fullerton)
Suzanne Johnson, Western Area Manager, Los Angeles Public Library
Keynote Speaker: Clara Chu, Assistant Professor, UCLA Dept. of Library and Information Science
April 1998 - Dinner Honoring Elizabeth Martinez
A dinner was hosted by CLBC-GLA to welcome the former Executive Director of ALA and a long-time supporter of CLBC and Reforma, Elizabeth Martinez, back to Los Angeles. A statuette, "Woman Standing", was presented to Ms. Martinez.
Pictures:
(1) Standing from left to right: Betty Blackman, Billie Frierson, Louise Parson, Eric Brasley, Alline Merchant, Edris Newton, Sharon Johnson, Suzanne Johnson, Delores Pedro
Seated, from left to right: Joyce Sumbi, Elizabeth Martinez, Binnie Tate
(2) Standing from left to right: , Binnie Tate Wilkin, Alline Merchant, Joyce Sumbi, John Ayala
Seated, from left to right: Maya Martinez Smith, Elizabeth Martinez, Betty Blackman, Shelley Werts
(3) Chapter Co-Presidents Edris Newton and Suzanne Johnson with Elizabeth Martinez
1997
November 16, 1997 - 25th Anniversary Celebration
In celebration of our organization's 25th anniversary, a program was held to honor our founders and founding members.
May 1997 - The Greater Los Angeles chapter launches its website on the Internet as part of a "Web Raising" event hosted by Break Away Technologies.
March 8, 1997 CLBC – CLBC Greater Los Angeles hosted a conference, “Bringing the Internet Home: African American Access to Information, Communication and Technology,” featuring Congressman Major Owens (NY) as keynote speaker. Program received major funding from the American Library Association, and additional support from the Los Angeles Public Library, the California Library Association, and the California State University Dominguez Hills Library Associates.
1996
October 20,1996 - CLBC Scholarship Luncheon Program hosted by CLBC - Greater Los Angeles chapter: A Potpourri of Genres! at the Renaissance Hotel, LAX Airport, featuring:
Paula L. Woods & Felix H. Liddell, editors and authors of several collections of African American history and literature
Gar Anthony Haywood, mystery writer and creator of two highly acclaimed series: Aaron Gunner and the Loudermilks
Gary Phillips, mystery writer and creator of the hard-hitting and politically savvy Ivan Monk series
Amanda Wheeler, noted and ground-breaking romance writer.
Books were made available by Michael & Claudette McLinn, CLBC members and owners of Bright Lights Children's Bookstore. In addition, a silent auction of several African dolls and a raffle of $100 money tree was conducted. Arthur Pond, president of the Librarians Guild and the raffle prize-winner, generously donated the tree back to the Caucus!
Our scholarship recipients were Veronica Lee and Joe McNair. Veronica attended the San Jose State University. Joe attended UCLA.
Many thanks again to the Scholarship Luncheon Committee for their organization of this event (Delores Pedro (chair), Stephanie Brasley, Sharon Johnson, Joyce Sumbi, and Binnie Wilkin) and to the Scholarship Committee for their review and selection of this year's students awardees (Maggie Johnson (chair), Joyce Sumbi, and Shelley Werts).
October 1996 - CLBC Member Dr. James Crayton dedicates Education Center at Pasadena Community College.
CLBC members Joyce Sumbi, Binnie Wilkin, Eric Brasley and a Reforma member join Dr. James Crayton in the groundbreaking ceremony of the Education Center at the Pasadena Community College.
1994 CLBC-GLA amended the name of its scholarship to “Louise Jane Moses — Agnes Davis Scholarship.”
1990
CLBC-GLA and UCLA-GSLIS received a $27,000 California State Library grant to recruit and mentor African American library school students. Eric Brasley hired as Consultant.
Pictured, from left to right: Billie Frierson, Stephanie Sterling, , Connie Nyhan, , Verna Muthoni
1987
CLBC Greater Los Angeles (GLA) renamed its scholarship, the “Louise Jane Moses Memorial Scholarship.”
June 1986 After much lobbying by CLBC and REFORMA, the County Librarian stays with her original decision to eliminate the Minority Services Coordinator position, stating that “this position is no longer needed.”
1985 CLBC Northern Area named its scholarship, the “Eunice J. H. Parker Scholarship Award.”
1984
May 1984 Binnie Wilkin hired as the first Minority Services Coordinator for Los Angeles County Public Library System
August 1984 Binnie Wilkin resigns as Minority Services Coordinator.
December 1980 CLBC presented “Black Librarianship in Changing Ethnic Communities” at the CLA Conference in Pasadena. Panelists were Miriam Matthews (a slide program, “L.A.’s Neglected History: The Black Pioneers”), Joyce Lenoir (“Children’s Services”), Wilbert Hunt and Eleanor Singleton (“Public Library Services”), Sylvia Curtis (“Information and Referral the CALL Project at L. A. County Public Library”), and Carolyn Norman (“Library Instruction in Community Colleges”).
1979
1979 CLBC Southern Area awarded its first two scholarships to one student at USC Library School and one student at UCLA Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS).
March 1979 California Governor’s Conference on Libraries and Information Services held. California’s White House Delegation included the following (African American) Community persons: Diane Dei-Amoah, Arthur Taylor, Hazel Russell, Kevin Dickerson, J. R. Starr, and alternate, Ida Miller. The Library Delegation included Amanda Williams (Trustee, Berkeley Public Library), Barbara Anderson (County Librarian, San Bernardino), June Fleming (City Librarian-San Jose), and alternate James E. Crayton (Acquisitions Librarian, Pasadena City College.)
June 1978 Proposition 13 approved by California voters! CLBC prepares a report for the California Library Service Board entitled, “Effects of Proposition 13 on Black Librarians and Black Libraries.”
December 1978 CLBC hosted a panel discussion in at the CLA Conference in San Diego on “Library Services to Minorities and Proposition 13“. Halbert Watson, City Librarian, Pomona Public Library, was moderator. Panelists were: Yolanda J. Cuesta, Minorities Services Consultant, California State Library; Michael Ishikawa, Los Angeles County Affirmative Action Office; Dr. Fay Blake, Lecturer, School of Library and Information Studies, U. C. Berkeley; and, Dr. Ruby Ling Louie, Friends of the Chinatown Library, Los Angeles Public Library.
December 1978 CLBC hosted a Reception honoring Virginia Hamilton, Ernest Gaines and Clara Stanton Jones.
September 1977 Minority Services Coordinator position approved for Los Angeles County Public Library System.
July 1975 CLBC Southern Area co-sponsored an exhibit of the outstanding reference books of 1974 in two Los Angeles area libraries — La Pintoresca Branch of Pasadena Public Library and at the Media Resource Center of Los Angeles Southwest College.
September 1975 CLBC Southern Area met with Los Angeles County Librarian to discuss the need for a Minority Services Coordinator. Joins forces with REFORMA. to establish this position.
1974
March 1974
By Laws adopted by Northern and Southern Area making CLBC an official statewide organization.
April 1974
First directories of Black librarians in Southern and Northern Areas compiled and printed. Distributed to members.
June 1974
CLBC Southern Area presents its first Authors Autograph Party at Maudelle Ford’s home. Beah Richards was the keynote presenter.
November 1974
Annual Report by Kathryn P. Carr indicates that Caucus members were nominated for CLA Council and three were elected for the term 1974-1977. The Training and Recruitment Committee held a seminar for potential librarians and two librarians were successful in securing positions. The Surveys Committee gathered data and compiled A Report on the Southern California Minority Employees Survey. Audrey Ann Criss of Inglewood Public Library received a $3,760 scholarship from the State Library through LSCA funds.
November 1974
At the 1974 CLA Conference in San Diego, CLBC launched its most ambitious CLA program to date:
a panel discussion on implementing affirmative action;
an outreach activity of bussing elementary school children to the Conference for storytelling and to meet Black and Mexican American librarians;
a banquet presenting Dr. Charles W. Thomas III, “The Father of Black Psychology,” and honoring author, Ernest J. Gaines (The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman).
June Fleming, (an African American) was City Librarian at San Jose Public Library at this time.
Binnie Tate Wilkin
1973
January 1973
CLBC Southern Area supported Lois Edwards Phillips and Elizabeth Martinez-Smith (who were charged with reverse discrimination because of their promotions by Los Angeles County Public Library System). Los Angeles County Civil Service Commission hearings were held from January through March 1973. CLBC members attended these hearings in support of these courageous librarians.
February 1973
By Laws Committee established. Members were James Crayton, Co-Chair Southern area; Effie Lee Morris, Co-Chair Northern area; Rubye Ballard, Southern area member Albert Wheeler, Northern area member.
June 1973
CLBC hosted the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) at the American Library Association (ALA) Conference in Las Vegas. The program, presented by CLBC Southern Area, featured speaker, Robert Crissman of Black Scholar magazine, followed by a reception with entertainment provided by the Ink Spots.
October 1973
Theme issue of California Librarian – “Does the Black Librarian Make A Difference.” Barbara H. Clark was Guest Editor, with the following CLBC members contributing articles: Tracy Eason (Mochizuki), Hermia M. Justice, Joyce Sumbi, Charlotte Jackson, Margaret Brookfield, Edith Fisher, Rubye L. Ballard, Marion K. Cobb, Eric L. Hines, Rosalind K Goddard, and Barbara H. Clark.
1972
March 1972 A group of concerned Librarians met in San Francisco to discuss the feasibility of establishing a Black Caucus of California Librarians.
May 1972 First organizing meetings held simultaneously in Northern and Southern California.
November 1972 First statewide organizing meeting of both northern and southern groups held at the California Library Association Conference in Anaheim. Working committees established.The name, CALIFORNIA LIBRARIANS BLACK CAUCUS, officially adopted by the statewide group. Through CLBC efforts, CLA passed two resolutions:
In support of the Black Librarians’ FEPC Lawsuit against Los Angeles County Public Library.
Assurance that a definite percentage of minority groups will be represented on CLA Council.
CLBC submitted candidates for CLA elections.
December 1972 On behalf of CLBC, Barbara Anderson presented a list of eight concerns to Ethel Crockett, State Librarian, concerning funding special programs to benefit Black Librarians and Black library users. Draft By Laws presented by Committee of Northern and Southern California CLBC members (Effie Lee Morris, Edna Tidwell, James F. Crayton and Rubye Ballard)
November 1971 Elizabeth Martinez-Smith presented a resolution to CLA Council in support of Black librarians’ FEPC suit against Los Angeles County Public Library and joined forces with three African Americans on CLA Council — Kathryn P. Carr, Hermia M. Justice, and Effie Lee Morris — to pass this resolution.
Page updated
Report abuse