









































352

Seventy-Five Years of Racial Ethnic 
Diversity in Atla
Susan Ebertz, Wartburg Theological Seminary

ABSTR ACT Some of the events of the past year have resulted in 
theological institutions assessing their own racial ethnic diversity 
and making plans for increasing that diversity. This year Atla cele-
brates seventy-five years of existence. This session will reflect back 
over the past 75 years and note what has been done. The presenta-
tion given at the ATLA Annual Conference in 2011, Sixty-Five Years 
of Racial Ethnic Diversity in ATLA will be the basis for the session. At 
the conclusion of the 2011 presentation, the vision of the future was 
of an association which reflected the general population in terms of 
percentage of racial ethnic persons. The session will chronicle events 
from the last 10 years, update data, and see how close to that vision 
the association has come. Areas of possible growth will also be noted.

I acknowledge that Wartburg Theological Seminary, in Dubuque, 
Iowa, USA, sits on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory 
of the Sauk and Meskwaki, Miami, Iowa, Ho Chunk, Potawatami and 
Očhéthi Šakówiŋ peoples. 

At the 2011 Atla Annual Conference, I did a presentation on “Sixty-
Five Years of Racial Ethnic Diversity in ATLA” (Ebertz 2011, 271-87). This 
session will focus on the past ten years. I am limiting what I say here to 
racial ethnic diversity in Atla in the USA and will be using the term BIPOC 
(Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), which is more common today 
than racial ethnic. In recent years, the Committee for DEI has sponsored 
innovative activities which have included other marginalized groups. 
I applaud them for their good work. As many of you know, in terms of 
diversity my interests lie in the issues of BIPOC diversity. As with the 
2011 session, I will begin with numbers and graphs. They are to show 
the context of Atla’s diversity and the change since 2011. It seemed more 
difficult to find information this time around. I think the pandemic made 
a difference in this. I have not been actively involved with the diversity 
committee since 2011 when the initial committee ended. Most of the 
information is from the diversity committee reports in the Summary of 
Proceedings, and beginning in 2018, the Atla Annual Yearbook. Some of 
the information in this paper is limited by my own knowledge of Atla 
members. I welcome anyone to help correct the record.



353

UNITED STATES POPULATION

The following graph is from the Visual Capitalist website (Ghosh 
2020) and shows the USA population by race in 2019. Beige is White. 
Orange is Hispanic. Blue is Black. Brown is Asian. Black is Multi-
ple Races. Red is American Indian/Alaskan Native. Green is Native 
Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander. As you can probably see White is 
60% and BIPOC is 40%.

I thought it was interesting that the graph did not include Puerto 
Rico which is 98% Hispanic. The bar graph on the left uses the same 
color scheme. As you can see the beige section decreases while the 
others increase.

The United States Census Bureau report, “Demographic Turn-
ing Points for the United States: Population Projections for 2020 to 
2060” (Vespa, Medina, and Armstrong 2020, 3) gives these numbers 
and percentages. You can see the population demographics change 
over the years, and that the projection is that by 2060, BIPOCs will 
be the majority.



354  AT L A 202 1 PROCEEDINGS

2016 2030 2060

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

Total 323,128,000 100 355,101,000 100 404,483,000 100

White 248,503,000 76.9 263,453,000 74.2 275,014,000 68

Non-Hispanic 
White 197,970,000 61.3 197,992,000 55.8 179,162,000 44.3

Black/African 
American 43,001,000 13.3 49,009,000 13.8 60,690,000 15.0

American 
Indian/Alaska 

Native
4,055,000 1.3 4,663,000 1.3 5,583,000 1.4

Asian 18,319,000 5.7 24,394,000 6.9 36,815,000 9.1

Native 
Hawaiian/

Other Pacific 
Islander

771,000 .02 913,000 .03 1,125,000 .03

Two or More 
Races 8,480,000 2.6 12,669,000 3.6 25,255,000 6.2

Hispanic 57,470,000 17.8 74,807,000 21.1 111,216,000 27.5

ASSOCIATION OF THEOLOGICAL SCHOOLS

The Association of Theological Schools accredits theological schools 
in Canada and the US (ATS, n.d.). Once a year the schools must fill 
out a survey. The schools self-report on how they see themselves. 
The 2020 survey has 17% self-identifying as BIPOC, with 71% White. 
The other 12% is made of schools with majority visa students and 
schools that did not report.

Racial/ethnicity Number of ATS schools Percentage of ATS schools

Asian/Pacific Islander 3 1.4%

Black non-Hispanic 9 4%

Hispanic 3 1.4%

American Indian/Alaskan Native 0 0

Multi-racial/ethnic 10 4.5%

White 179 81%

Visa 5 2.2%

Not Reported 13 5.9%

Total 222



Listen and Learn Sessions  355

I adjusted the ATS numbers by taking out the schools that have a 
majority of visa students and those that did not report. This makes 
it easier to compare with the graph of the US population from Visual 
Capitalist (above). The results of doing this shows ATS as 81% White 
and BIPOC as 19% as compared to the US population with 60% White 
and BIPOC as 40%.

ATS schools US population

White 81% 60%

BIPOC 19% 40%

Information about US ATS schools is found in the Annual Data 
Tables, Table 1.2, “Significant Institutional Characteristics of Each 
Member School.” In comparing the number of ATS schools in 2010 
with 2020, we see that there has been some growth in diversity. 
In 10 years the number of self-identified BIPOC schools increased 
from 11.3% to 17%. Schools with a majority of students on visas or 
not reported also increased. This accounts for the lower number of 
White schools (from 81% to 71%).

US ATS Schools 2010 2020

Number Percent Number Percent

Racial Ethnic 25 11.3 39 17

Asian, Pacific Islander 3 1.35 7 3

Black Non-Hispanic 9 4 14 6

Hispanic 3 1.35 7 3

American Indian, Alaskan Native, or Inuit 0 0 0 0

Multi-racial/ethnic 10 4.5 11 4.8

Visa 5 2.2 9 4

White 179 80.6 164 71.3

Not Reported 13 5.9 18 7.8

Total 222 230

The number of BIPOC ATS schools increased from 25 in 2010 to 39 
in 2020.  In the table, 39 ATS schools self-identified as BIPOC schools 
in the 2020 survey: Asian 7, Black 14, Hispanic 7, and Multi-racial 11. 
As of June 2021, the fourteen schools in the list below with an aster-
isk are not members of Atla. 

Alliance Theological Seminary*    H



356  AT L A 202 1 PROCEEDINGS

Azusa Pacific Seminary*     H
B. H. Carroll Theological Institute    M
Baptist Seminary of Kentucky    M
Barry University Department of Theology & Philosophy H
Berkeley School of Theology (CA)    M
Candler School of Theology     M
Christian Witness Theological Seminary   A
Drew University Theological School   M
Ecumenical Theological Seminary*   B
Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico   H
Gateway Seminary      M
Grace Mission University Graduate School   A
Graduate School of Theology & Ministry in PR*  H
Grand Canyon Theological Seminary   B
Henry Appenzeller University*    A
Hood Theological Seminary*    B
Houston Graduate School of Theology   B
Howard University School of Divinity   B
Inter-American Adventist Theological Seminary*  M
Interdenominational Theological Center   B
John Leland Center for Theological Studies  M
Logos Evangelical Seminary    A
McCormick Theological Seminary    B
Memphis Theological Seminary    B
Midwest University Graduate School of Theology*  A
Neal T. Jones Seminary of Washington University of VA* M
New Brunswick Theological Seminary   M
New York Theological Seminary*    M
Oakwood University School of Religion Grad Dept* B 
Oblate School of Theology     H
Payne Theological Seminary    B
Presbyterian Theological Seminary in America*  A
Regent University School of Divinity   B
Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology*  B
Shaw University Divinity School*    B
St. John’s Seminary (CA)     H
United Theological Seminary    B
World Mission University     A



Listen and Learn Sessions  357

We turn now to the racial/ethnic demographics of the students 
at US ATS schools. This information is found in Table 2.12-B “Head 
Count Enrollment by Race or Ethnic Group, Degree, and Gender.”

US ATS Students 2010 2020

Number Percent Number Percent

Racial Ethnic 17,005 24.1 23,012 31.4

Asian, Pacific Islander 4,451 6.32 6,021 8.2

Black Non-Hispanic 8,850 12.57 9,410 12.8

Hispanic 3,474 4.9 5,654 7.7

American Indian, Alaskan Native, or Inuit 230 .33 234 .3

Multi-racial/ethnic 1,693 2.3

Visa 6,321 8.97 7,243 9.9

White 41,586 59 37,386 51

Not Reported 5,520 7.8 5,687 7.8

Total 70,432 73,328

We see that the number of BIPOC students has increased from 24.1% 
to 31.4% and the White students have decreased from 59% to 51%.

The racial ethnic diversity of the faculty at US ATS schools have 
also changed in the ten years. BIPOC faculty have increased from 
17.45% to 23.5% and White faculty have decreased from 81% to 
73.9%. However, the percentages are very different from the US 
ATS students. In 2020, 31.4% of the US ATS students are BIPOC while 
faculty are 23.5%.  White students in 2020 are 51% compared to 
faculty at 73.9%. Faculty racial ethnic diversity lags behind students.

US ATS Faculty 2010 2020

Number Percent Number Percent

Racial Ethnic 575 17.45 678 23.5

Asian, Pacific Islander 185 5.6 251 8.7

Black Non-Hispanic 258 7.8 265 9.2

Hispanic 120 3.6 141 4.9

American Indian, Alaskan Native or Inuit 4 .12 1 .03

Multi-racial/ethnic 8 .24 20 .69

Visa 26 .79 16 .56

White 2,671 81 2,128 73.9

Not Reported 24 .73 57 2

Total 3,296 2,879



358  AT L A 202 1 PROCEEDINGS

ATLA MEMBERSHIP

Atla member demographics are more difficult to obtain since the 
only instrument used is membership surveys. Participation in the 
survey is completely voluntary. Numbers may be skewed by the fact 
that institutional representatives may also be individual members. 
Some libraries may have library staff who are not either the institu-
tional representative or an individual member. The numbers then 
are not reflective of the staff at Atla member libraries.

These are the results of the Atla membership surveys in 2010. 
Information was accessed in 2011 and is no longer available using 
the link in Works Cited (Atla 2011). 

ATLA Survey 2010 Institutional Rep Individual Member

Number Percent Number Percent

Racial Ethnic 8 5.9 29 10.4

Asian, Pacific Islander 8 5.9 7 2.5

Black Non-Hispanic 7 2.5

Hispanic 5 1.8

American Indian, Alaskan Native or Inuit 1 .36

Multi-racial/ethnic 9 3.2

Other 8 5.9

White 115 85.2 243 87.4

No Answer 4 3 6 2.2

Total 135 278

Atla Individual Membership survey conducted in 2019 reported 
the following. The numbers of BIPOC survey participants have 
increased in the nine years. The percentages are lower than the US 
ATS faculty and far lower than the US ATS students.



Listen and Learn Sessions  359

Atla Individual Member Survey 2019

Number Percent Number Percent

Racial 
Ethnic

12.13

Black or African American 5.71

Asian 2.14

Hispanic, Latino,
or Spanish Origin

2.86

Native American .71

Multi-racial/ethnic

White 85

Other .71

No Answer 4.29

Total

I gathered some information from the US Department of Labor, 
Bureau of Labor Statistics, and looked at the category “Librarians 
and media collections specialists” (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 
2020). The racial ethnic groups listed were Black/African American, 
Asian, and Hispanic/Latino. The US Department of Labor informa-
tion shows 21% BIPOC, which is a much higher percentage than the 
Atla membership survey.

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Labor Force Statistics from the Current 
Population Survey 2020

Number Percent Number Percent

Racial 
Ethnic

22,900 21

African American 9,500 9

Asian American 3,500 3

Hispanic 9,900 9

Native American

Multi-racial/ethnic

White 83,100 79

Other

No Answer

Total



360  AT L A 202 1 PROCEEDINGS

ATLA ANNUAL SESSIONS AND ACTIVITIES

Below is a list of the number of sessions and activities since 1973. 
The information is pulled from the Summary of Proceedings. As I 
mentioned in the introduction, the designation of whether a session 
or activity is considered dealing with BIPOC issues is based on my 
decision.

1973  1   2010 2
1974-97  0   2011 3
1998  2   2012 7
1999-2000  0   2013 3
2001  2   2014 1
2002-03  0   2015 3
2004  1   2016 5
2005  1   2017 2
2006  2   2018 1
2007  1   2019 2
2008  1   2020 2
2009  1

In the 1973 Proceedings, Carol Moldovanyi wrote a plea for 
recruitment of minority persons as theological librarians (Moldo-
vanyi, 1973). Her comments, though well-meaning, seem to indicate 
that minority persons were poor with substandard living condi-
tions. This stereotyping seems to demonstrate the attitude of that 
time. However, Atla is to be commended on being concerned about 
diversifying their ranks even as early as 1973.

This is a list of Conference sessions that I gleaned from the 
Summary of Proceedings. I made the determination of whether or 
not they were BIPOC session.

2012 Plenary Address: “What’s for Lunch? Serving a Diversity Salad 
& Sharing a Recipe for Organizational Change,” Dr. Camila A. 
Alire

2012 Paper: “Stories of Our Past as Parables of Our Present: Japa-
nese American Internment Camps in Arizona,” Susan Ebertz

2012 Panel: “How Do ‘They’ Do It? Digital Initiatives and Electronic 
Resources, an International Panel of Specialists,” Mariel 
Deluca, Daniel Flores, Rob Bradshaw, Cindy Lu Wu

2012 Conversation Group: “The Changing Face of Evangelical Semi-
nary Students,” Charles Kamilos, Suzanne Smith



Listen and Learn Sessions  361

2013 Conversation Group: “11 Million Reasons to Become Diverse: 
How Diverse Populations are Changing Libraries and Society,” 
Stephen V. Sweeney

2014 Conversation Group: “Preserving and Sharing Meditations of 
Howard Thurman: Digitization and Transcription of Audio 
Archives at the Pitts Theology Library,” Richard Manly Adams, 
Jr.

2015 Pre-Conference Workshop: “Racial Equity in Theological 
Librarianship,” Lynn Berg, Emily Braucher, Susan Ebertz, 
Martin Garnar, Adrienne Mansanares, Shaneè Yvette Murrain, 
Warren Watson

2015 Papers & Presentations: “Beyond the Number: Diversity 
Management in Academic Theological Libraries,” Jaeyeon 
Lucy Chung

2015 Conversations Group: “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize: The 
Continuing Work for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion,” Martin 
Garnar, Gabriel Ortiz

2016 Plenary: “How Can ATLA Transform Diversity into Inclusivity 
to Drive Innovation?”, Rahuldeep Gill

2016 Papers & Presentations: “Theology, Race and Libraries,” Anita 
Coleman

2016 Panel Discussion: “The Silence of the Religious Archive on 
Issues of Social Justice:   Exploring the Political Activity of Two 
Denominations Through Primary Source Materials,” Christo-
pher J. Anderson, Colin Dube, Shaneè Yvette Murrain

2017 Listen & Learn: “The Human Rights of Muslims in the United 
States: How is the Question Irrelevant?”, Dr. Abdullahi Ahmed 
An-Na’im, Emory Law School, sponsored by the Committee on 
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

2017 Listen & Learn: “The Implications of Relevance Theory for 
Cross-Cultural Library Communication,” Wesley Custer

2018 In-Conference Workshop: “Slave Narratives, the Bible and 
Hymns, Oh My…,” Joshua Been and Bill Hari

2019 Papers & Presentations: “Global Learning and the Myth of 
Borders,” Anthony J. Elia

2019 Listen & Learn: “First Nations/Native Americans and Religion,” 
Jane Lenz Elder and David Schmersal

2020 Conversation Group: “Theological Libraries Serving Immi-
grant Communities,” Susan Ebertz

2020 Poster: “Black Theology Papers Project,” Andrea C. White and 
Adam Clark



362  AT L A 202 1 PROCEEDINGS

I created this list of conference activities from the Summary of 
Proceedings:

2012 Excursion: Native Cultures and Plants of the Southwest
2012 Worship: Spiritual Discipline of Meditation, Spiritual Disci-

pline of Service
2012 Movie Night: “Rabbit Proof Fence” with discussion of the 

movie
2013 Worship in the African-American tradition, Dr. Gregory Moss
2013 Movie Night: “Water” with discussion of the movie
2016 All Conference Lunch: “Are You Welcomed? A Conversation 

Toward Building a More Diverse and Inclusive Community in 
ATLA”

2016 Poster session: “Committee’s history, and its new direction 
and charge, and offer a space for members to leave personal 
responses and reflections on their views of the new charge 
and what it would mean for the future.”

ATLA DIVERSITY COMMITTEE

Information about the Atla diversity committee in its different forms 
comes from my own experience and from the Summary of Proceed-
ings and later the Yearbook (Atla, n.d.). The Special Committee on 
Diversity was created in 2008 to meet the Association Ends. At that 
time the Association Ends were:

1.3 ATLA reflects the diversity of our communities and institu-
tions, including but not limited to religious, racial, ethnic, and 
gender diversities. 

1.3.1 Individuals from under-represented racial and ethnic 
minority communities are welcomed as members of the associa-
tion and are encouraged to hold leadership roles.

The Committee’s Charge was:

1) Receive applications; evaluate and select recipients of ATLA 
Scholarships for Minorities;

2) Represent the Association at meetings of the ATLA Affiliates 
Organization; 



Listen and Learn Sessions  363

3) Gather information about the diversity efforts of other library 
associations and explore possibilities for collaboration;

4) Promote, plan and monitor Annual Conference programs 
related to diversity;

5) Investigate potential connections between racial diversity and 
other forms of diversity within the association.

In 2012, there is no indication in the Proceedings that a diversity 
committee existed.

In 2012-13 the Diversity Committee was created with a new 
charge which was approved by the ATLA Executive Director. The 
charge is as follows: 

The Diversity Committee recommends practices and programs 
related to recruitment, retention, development, and advancement 
of diverse members; receives applications, evaluates, and selects 
recipients for the ATLA Scholarship to Promote Diversity in 
Theological Librarianship; encourages collaborative relationships 
with communities of diverse professionals; ensures diverse 
perspectives in programs at the ATLA Annual Conference and 
other activities of the association; promotes research that supports 
diversity in theological and religious studies libraries; and shares 
resources and services related to issues of diversity.

The members of the committee were Stephen Sweeney (chair), 
Lynn Berg, Daniel Flores, and Stella Wilkins. Their activities included 
awarding scholarships and beginning a Diversity Resource List.

The members of the committee in 2014 were Daniel Flores (chair), 
Lynn Berg, Jaeyeon Lucy Chung, and Stella Wilkins.  Activities 
included awarding scholarships, creating an Atla Diversity webpage 
with resources, and continuing the Listserv.

The members of the committee in 2015 were Lynn Berg (chair), 
Jaeyeon Lucy Chung, Shaneè Yvette Murrain, and Gabriel Ortiz. 
Activities included “informal dinner gathering of diversity-minded 
folks at a local restaurant” during the conference.

In 2016, the name was changed to Committee for Diversity, Equity, 
and Inclusion (DEI). The members of the committee were Lucy Chung 
and Nic Weiss (co-chairs), Bonggun Baek, Shaneè Yvette Murrain, 
and Gabriel Ortiz. Activities included Committee attending the 2015 
Parliament of the World’s Religions and awarding two scholarships.

New charge:
In order to realize and live the core values of hospitality, inclusion, 
and diversity as outlined in the ATLA Strategic Plan, the Committee 
for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is committed to advancing 



364  AT L A 202 1 PROCEEDINGS

ATLA’s culture that affirms the intrinsic value of all members 
regardless of racial, culture, age, career stage/professional 
experience, sexual orientation, gender expression, expression of 
faith tradition, disabilities, or socio-economic differences by:

• identifying, acknowledging, and deconstructing barriers to 
diversity, equity, and inclusion

• welcoming, valuing, and celebrating multiple perspectives and 
cultural vantage points

• increasing awareness and sensitivity toward issues of diversity, 
equity, and inclusion

• modeling meaningful exchange and full community participation

• creating and maintaining a welcoming and respectful 
environment

• embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion into the work and 
outcomes of the association

• providing members with resources, tools, and best practices 
they can use at their own institutions as appropriate

• transforming ATLA’s composition to reflect the diversity of 
members’ institutions and communities

The members of the committee were Nicholas Weiss (chair 7/2016-
2/2017), Donna Wells (chair 2/2017-6/2017), Evan Boyd, Ondrea 
Murphy, Drew Baker, and Lee Staman. Activities included sponsor-
ing a three-part webinar: “Making Your Library a Place for Mean-
ingful Conversation” with Myka Kennedy Stephens, “Librarians 
as Active Bystanders: Centering Social Justice in LIS Practice” with 
Nichole Amy Cooke, and “Let’s Talk about Power: Why Diversity and 
Cultural Competence are Important to LIS” with Nichole Amy Cooke. 
The committee awarded scholarships and sponsored a poster session 
at the conference to raise awareness of the DEI scholarship.

In 2018, the members of the committee were Donna Wells (chair), 
Ondrea Murphy, Evan Boyd, Lee Staman, and Drew Baker. Activi-
ties included creating a three-year plan of action, contacting library 
schools about the diversity scholarship and raising the amount of the 
scholarship, hosting a webinar series, and creating an oral history 
project. At the Annual Conference, the committee sponsored a Listen 
and Learn: “Are We All Saints? How One Church Has Strived for Radi-
cal Welcome and Inclusion in Their Congregation,” presented by 



Listen and Learn Sessions  365

Suzanne Wille, Episcopal Church of All Saints of Indianapolis. The 
committee also sponsored with the World Religions Interest Group 
an interfaith discussion on a movement called Focolare. There was 
a poster session to gauge interest in a webinar series.

In 2019, the committee members were Evan Boyd (chair), Drew 
Baker, Ondrea Murphy, Lee Staman, Alice Song, and Donna Wells. 
Activities included reassessing aspiration projects and laying ground 
for future planning and projects. Because of staffing changes related 
to the committee, the committee was not able to have as many 
programs. The committee did develop several monthly blog posts 
focusing on how members can support diversity at their institutions, 
including a summary of deaf and Deaf community history, and a 
celebration of Asian American and Pacific American Heritage Month. 
The committee granted a diversity scholarship. At Atla Annual the 
committee sponsored “Building Inclusive Spaces: Vancouver Public 
Library’s Trans, Gender Variant, and two-Spirit Inclusion Initiative” 
Alex MacCutchan.

In 2020, the committee members were Evan Boyd (chair 7/2019-
5/2020), Yasmine Abou-El-Kheir (chair 7/2020-8/2020), Daniel (Bong-
gun) Baek, David Kriegh, Alice Song, and Donna Wells. Activities 
included six blogposts to the Atla blog:

• “Transgender Day of Remembrance, November 20” by Evan 
Boyd.

• A guest post by Tomoko Shida, the recipient of the 2019 Atla 
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Scholarship, on “‘Hospitality’ in 
Archival Collections Related to the Study of Religion.”

• Reflections by all DEI Committee members on the meaning of 
diversity, equity, and inclusion.

• “African Americans and the Ballot Box: Countering Disinforma-
tion Campaigns with Social Media Literacy” by Yasmine Abou-
El-Kheir.

• A guest blog post by Sheryl Stahl, director of the Hebrew Union 
College-Jewish Institute of Religion, discussing “Yom ha-Shoah 
(Israeli Holocaust Remembrance Day).”

• “Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM): A Rich 
Mosaic” by Daniel (Bonggun) Baek

Scholarships were awarded, a DEI lib guide was created, and 
a survey was developed. The committee approached the board 



366  AT L A 202 1 PROCEEDINGS

concerning a statement on the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud 
Arberry, and Breonna Taylor.

This is the Mission and Organizational Ends statement adopted 
by the Atla Board of Directors in February 2020. I’ve highlighted the 
end which deals with diversity, inclusion, equity, and antiracism.

The Board and Membership of the Association adopted a mission 
statement and Organizational Ends to guide the Association’s 
activities and programs:

The mission of Atla is to foster the study of theology and religion 
by enhancing the development of theological and religious studies 
libraries and librarianship.

Atla exists so that:

Librarians and information providers in theology and religion are 
connected in a sustainable and diverse global community at a cost 
that demonstrates good stewardship of resources.

This is further defined to include but not limited to the following:

1. Users have access to quality academic and professional resources.

1.1 Open access resources and special collections are available and 
discoverable by librarians and information professionals.

2. Institutional leaders have an awareness of the trends impacting 
the religion and theology library ecosystem.

3. Librarians and information providers are growing in their 
competencies and skills.

3.1 Librarians and information providers demonstrate competencies 
in diversity, inclusion, equity, and antiracism.

3.2 Information professionals are able to successfully navigate the 
changing landscape.

3.3 Librarians and information providers have access to professional 
development in technical and digital skills.

3.4 Information professionals have opportunities to innovate.

Here’s a list of BIPOC persons (as far as I could tell) who have 
been/are on the Atla Board of Directors.

• Carrie Hackney (2009-15)
• Tammy Johnson (2012-2014)
• Jaeyeon Lucy Chung (2016-2018)



Listen and Learn Sessions  367

• Shaneè Yvette Murrain (2018-2021)
• Susan Ebertz (2019-2022)
• Yasmine Abou-El-Kheir (2021-2024)

Here’s a list of BIPOC persons (again as far as I could tell) who 
have been/are on Atla Committees other than the diversity commit-
tee.

• Mariel Deluca Voth: International Collaboration (chair), 2012
• Cindy S. Lu: International Collaboration, 2012-2014
• Lisa Gonzalez:  Publications, 2012-2014
• Carrie Hackney:  Nominating, 2014
• Tammy Johnson:  Nominating, 2016-2017
• Shaneè Yvette Murrain: Conference, 2017-2018
• Yasmine Abou-El-Kheir: Professional Development, 2017-2020
• Gerone Lockhart: Conference, 2019-2020
• Sabahat Adil: Scholarly Communication, 2019-2020

I just did a whirlwind tour of the history of the last ten years plus. 
As I mentioned in the description of the session, “At the conclusion 
of the 2011 presentation, the vision of the future was of an associa-
tion that reflected the general population in terms of the percentage 
of BIPOC persons. The session will chronicle events from the last 10 
years, update data, and see how close to that vision the Association 
has come.”

I was struck by three of my discoveries. One was comparing 
the Atla member survey results from 2010 to 2019 and seeing the 
increase of BIPOC diversity. In the 2010 survey 10.4% was BIPOC and 
in 2020 12.13%. The second one was comparing the Atla member 
survey with the ATS US students. There was a significant difference in 
the percentages. Atla 12.13%; ATS students 31.4%. The third one was 
the number of sessions and activities at Atla Annual. The numbers 
definitely increased. I didn’t include the numbers from this confer-
ence, but they were significant.

I wonder what goals, takeaways, and strategies for change you 
may have. Is one of the goals to increase the percentage of BIPOC 
persons within Atla? Is there a reason to do this? I was struck by our 
opening speaker, Alexia Hudson-Ward. She spoke of failing forward. 
I asked the question during the Q&A about what we can do when 
others want us to fail or see failure as failure and not as opportunity. 



368  AT L A 202 1 PROCEEDINGS

She mentioned the laboratory, and it made me think that our strat-
egies may not always succeed but we are still trying, and we learn 
from our failures. The other point was about polymath behavior. 
We often think of things like this from an individual perspective. But 
we can see polymath behavior as a group behavior and the need for 
many diverse voices to bring about something wonderful.

WORKS CITED

American Theological Library Association. 2011. “2011 Direct 
Inspection A: Membership.”  Accessed June 8, 2011. http://www.
atla.com/community/ATLA%20Member%20Publications/MSD_
report_rev_2011.pdf .

Association of Theological Schools (ATS). n.d. “Annual Data Tables.” 
Accessed May 10, 2021. https://www.ats.edu/resources/institu-
tional-data/annual-data-tables.

Atla. n.d. Atla Annual Yearbook. https://serials.atla.com/yearbook/
issue/archive.

Atla. n.d. Atla Summary of Proceedings. https://serials.atla.com/
proceedings/issue/archive.

Ebertz, Susan. 2011. “Sixty-Five Years of Racial Ethnic Diversity 
in ATLA.” ATLA Summary of Proceedings, edited by S. Corkery, 
271-87. Chicago: American Theological Library Association.

Ghosh, Iman. 2020. “Visualizing the U.S. Population by Race.” 
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