Roots of Justice: A History of Race and Racism in Nebraska is a pathbreaking, multidisciplinary edited volume that confronts the history of racism experienced by minority populations in Nebraska. The book contains chapters on Native American, African American, Latino, Asian, and Refugee populations. Each chapter is written by an expert in the field, who is also a member of that particular community. The authors capture the lived experience of these groups, and point the way forward for racial understanding and reconciliation.
The presenter, Gabriel Bruguier, authored the chapter, “A History of Native People in Nebraska, Part I”. He is an enrolled member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe, Assistant Professor and Teaching and Learning Librarian at University of Nebraska Libraries, and the City of Lincoln Commissioner on the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs. He will contextualize his contribution through his family history, discuss some of the challenges experienced while writing the chapter, and explain the significance of the Native American rallying cry, “We are Still Here!"
This presentation will also give an overview of other chapters in the book, focusing on the multidisciplinary approach taken by the authors; discuss accompanying resources to the book; discuss the open accessibility of the book and individual chapters; and discuss ways in which librarians and educators might integrate the work into community programs and educational curriculum.
