Chapter 10: Antiracism Cultural Humility and Black Males in the Library

The policing of Black male bodies is not uncommon to America. Less known is Black male bodies policed in public libraries. Having worked at the Nashville Public Library’s Hadley Park branch, I saw behaviors and stereotypes played out on both sides of the public service desk. Hyper masculine behavior, homophobia, mental illness, and staff safety were issues that had to be faced by me and my staff. The quandary was my being a Black man who understood the ramifications of a police call or verbal exchange. Putting a Black man in a “problem” branch in a Black neighborhood was not by accident. Administrative choices were based upon racist and sexist tropes that Black men are familiar with dysfunctional environments of drugs and prostitution and don’t need a sense of safety like any other human beings.