Day 2 Summary

Quick recap

The 2nd day of the convening (September 2025) explored themes of radical empathy and understanding through various sessions, including presentations on libraries and archives, leadership, and teaching radical empathy in LIS education. The conversation ended with a keynote address by Nancy Kirkpatrick, who emphasized the importance of soft skills as power skills and discussed strategies for addressing systemic issues and fostering resilience in professional settings.

Summary

Building Empathy Convening Day Two

The meeting focused on preparations for the second day of the "Building Radical Empathy" convening. Nicole Cooke and Aisha Johnson discussed the schedule, including a Q&A session, keynote panel, and presentation by Dr. Nancy Kirkpatrick. They emphasized the importance of graphic recordings by David Michael Moore and planned to share all recordings and summaries on their website. Aisha expressed concern about a fiscal agent's overstepping authority and discussed interim roles in academia. The team also planned to create social media posts to highlight the convening and ensure participants received evaluations to secure funding.

KEYNOTE PANEL: Empathy and Perspective-Shifting Strategies

The discussion focused on radical empathy and understanding, with participants sharing personal experiences of engaging with people who hold different values. Aisha emphasized the importance of listening to understand rather than respond, and several participants, including Renee and Anna, shared stories of how exposure to different perspectives had changed their own views. The group discussed strategies for approaching difficult conversations, with Steven highlighting the need to judge individuals rather than making assumptions based on group characteristics. The conversation also touched on the challenges faced by first-generation college students in discussing new ideas with family members who hold different beliefs.

Generational Parenting and Empathy Discussion

The meeting began with a discussion about generational perspectives on parenting and the challenges of questioning established norms, with Aisha and Gabby sharing personal experiences. The conversation then shifted to exploring assumptions about oneself and the world, with participants reflecting on their fears of change and the importance of questioning long-held beliefs. The session concluded with introductions to the keynote panelists, who were set to discuss radical empathy in librarianship, archives, and special collections.

Radical Empathy in Libraries

Kellee presented on the theme of radical empathy in libraries and archives, discussing its intersection with environmental justice and biodiversity. She explored how the profession often expects marginalized workers, particularly Black women, to perform invisible care work while facing systemic underappreciation. The group discussed how radical empathy can be both empowering and challenging, with Mahasin sharing her personal experience of inheriting her father's papers and Patrice highlighting the tension between institutional preservation and personal connection to collections. The conversation concluded with reflections on how to teach these values to new professionals, particularly in the post-COVID era, and the importance of balancing transparency with protection when handling sensitive historical materials.

Radical Empathy in LIS Education

The meeting focused on teaching radical empathy in LIS education and its challenges, particularly in graduate programs where students often enter the profession with limited exposure to diversity and inclusion topics. Participants discussed how to incorporate radical empathy into the curriculum, with Dr. Cooke noting that even getting students to engage with basic empathy concepts can be difficult. The group also explored concerns about artificial intelligence, with Patrice and others expressing worries about AI perpetuating existing inequities and reducing critical thinking skills, while Kenvi highlighted how AI outputs are often treated as infallible despite being influenced by human biases.

Practical Radical Empathy in Leadership

The meeting focused on radical empathy in leadership and its practical applications in professional settings. Participants discussed how to cultivate and apply radical empathy in various scenarios, including managing workplace conflicts and advocating for marginalized groups. They emphasized the importance of self-care, understanding personal limitations, and building community support systems. The discussion also touched on the challenges of extending empathy to all parties involved, particularly in situations where societal norms and biases complicate the issue. The panelists shared personal experiences and strategies for navigating these complex dynamics while maintaining professional integrity and personal well-being.

Meeting Summary and Next Steps

The conversation ended with expressions of gratitude from Dr. Cooke and Dr. Johnson to the participants for their engagement and contributions over the past two days. They announced that the website would be updated with summaries, PowerPoints, and other resources, and participants would receive a detailed email with links to the bibliography, recordings, and other materials. Dr. Johnson emphasized the importance of completing the survey by the deadline to ensure proper compensation and funding allocation. Participants were encouraged to follow the organizers on social media for updates and to share their feedback and insights.