Once the EDI Panel was established and our membership was selected, we made sure to discuss the mission of the Panel as a group. We quickly realized that creating a more inclusive MLA is a huge task and we developed a two-year strategic plan to help guide our work. Our very first goal was to develop an EDI statement for MLA. A special thank you to Moushimi “Mou” Chakraborty who had the vision to arrange the new statement in a way that moves MLA from acknowledgment to action (which is also the EDI Panel’s goal). 

Below is the newly approved and implemented EDI statement from the Maryland Library Association: 

"The Maryland Library Association (MLA) acknowledges and honors the fundamental value and dignity of all individuals. We pledge ourselves to creating and maintaining an environment that respects diverse traditions, conditions, ethnicities, cultures, genders, ages, heritages, abilities, and experiences. We recognize the rights of all individuals to mutual respect and to be accepted by others without biases based on differences of any kind. We celebrate the diversity of our membership, including full participation in programs and decision-making."