Krystal Tribbett, Candidate for Nominating Committee

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Krystal Tribbett

Curator for Orange County Regional History

she/her

 

DEIA work is everyday work because every day there will be some attempt to sustain systems of power that keep the marginalized in their place.

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BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

I am a historian and curator as well as an activist forever in training. Currently, I am the curator for Orange County regional history for UC Irvine Libraries Special Collections and Archives. I received my PhD in history of science—science studies from UC San Diego. At the core of my research was an interest in understanding public participation in knowledge production, especially by marginalized populations.

Although I have shifted from researcher to library professional, I continue my exploration of community-driven knowledge of the past and present and preservation of memories for the future. At UCI, I served as a member of the grant “Transforming Knowledge | Transforming Libraries” which provided undergraduate students with an opportunity to apply what they learned in ethnic studies combined with lived experience to contribute to community archives. I am currently a co-PI on “Community-Centered Archives Practice: Transforming, Education, Archives, and Community History.” This initiative seeks to cultivate commitment among higher education institutions to community-centered archives approaches, simultaneously solidifying the ability and responsibility of academic libraries to engage critically and contribute to social justice-focused scholarship, training, pedagogy, and partnerships in their communities. Beyond these projects, my work actively engages with community-based organizations preserving their histories on their own terms.

Over the past several years, I have had the opportunity to present on the topic of community-centered archives partnerships among other topics at various conferences including RBMS, SCA, SAA, and AERI. In 2021, I co-authored the book chapter “Fostering Transformation: Ethnic Studies as Critical Intervention for Primary Source Pedagogy” which is published in Ethnic Studies in Academic and Research Libraries.

I am proud to be an Andrew W. Mellon Fellow for Diversity, Inclusion and Cultural Heritage, Rare Book School (2020–2023). In 2022, I was nominated vice-chair/chair elect of the SAA Oral History Section.

DIVERSITY STATEMENT

Each candidate prepared a diversity statement according to SAA guidelines.

For almost twenty years, diversity, equity, and inclusion have been at the center of my personal and professional life. As a Black woman in higher education, I have experienced alienation firsthand. This has fueled my motivation to provide equal access and resources to amplify the voices of the oppressed. While a coordinator of multicultural recruitment for a liberal arts college, I advocated for the admittance of students from marginalized populations and spent time letting these students know that they earned and deserved their spot at the school. As a member of the graduate recruitment and yield committee and the faculty equity task force at UC San Diego, I helped to develop diversity action plans focused on the wellness of whole individuals as part of the strategy for retainment. Now at UC Irvine as a former co-chair of the Libraries’ Diversity Team, a member of the steering committee for the UCI End Racism Initiative, and advisory board member for the Black Thriving Initiative, I continue my commitment to centering BIPOC, LGBTQ+, differently abled, economically poor, and others pushed to the margins by those with power.

My experience has shown me that DEIA work is everyday work because every day there will be some attempt to sustain systems of power that keep the marginalized in their place. I am both tired and motivated. I am tired of individuals, organizations, and institutions that lean on the maintenance of the status quo to justify actions that reinforce systemic racism especially anti-Blackness. I am motivated by the objective to push against the expected and support memory-keeping practices and initiatives dedicated to radical social justice that spotlights the un- and underdocumented and nurtures emerging methodologies of change.

My motivation for being on the Nominating Committee is to assist in the identification of candidates poised to commit to DEIA every day even when it is hard, even when it is inconvenient, even when others make excuses. I will seek out candidates who bring both professional and lived experience to leadership roles and who value collaboration. My hope is to develop a shared vision with fellow Nominating Committee members that articulates our shared value for DEIA and expectations of leadership candidates.

QUESTION POSED BY NOMINATING COMMITTEE

SAA depends on volunteers to lead the organization and guide activity in support of the strategic plan. Given the demands of our current social environment and need for work-life balance, what keeps you committed to SAA? Why should one volunteer?

CANDIDATE'S RESPONSE 

Because there are demands of our current social environment that test our resilience, our compassion, our creativity, and even our humanity, I find it crucial to keep on keeping on. Even though there is a real need for work-life balance, aspects of work that contribute to social justice and that value my personal life experiences and the experiences of others is worth the extra effort. For these reasons I am committed to SAA. I would encourage anyone with a similar perspective to volunteer to the organization. To the Nominating Committee I bring a goal of challenging traditional roles of archivists, curators, and library professionals and of cultural heritage repositories as collectors, gate keepers, and exclusive institutions. I aim to explore innovative ways to not only reimagine these roles but bring to fruition systems that aim to diversify the historical record, increase access to those on the margins, and work in consultation and partnership with previously un- and underdocumented, misrepresented, and maligned communities.

2023 ELECTION HOME