At the Associates of the Boston Public Library's board meeting on November 18, 2020, BPL President David Leonard shared the Library's Racial Equity Commitment and Action Plan. The statement and action plan were drafted "in response to systemic racism, inequity, and injustice prevalent in our society" and demonstrate the Library's commitment to becoming an anti-racist organization. The document starts by affirming that Black lives matter. After hearing about the statement and the BPL's first steps to enact the principles outlined in the document, the Associates' Board of Directors voted unanimously to endorse and support the Library's plan. To read the full document please see here.

The image above shows Reverend Vernon E. Carter leading a protest against school segregation outside of Boston School Committee headquarters on May 17, 1965. This photograph is from the Boston Public Library's Brearley Collection of press photographs. The Associates was pleased to underwrite the digitization of this collection.