Recently Asked Questions (RAQs)

Please provide a long, detailed, and deeply footnoted resource on the difference between lobbying, political activity, and telling people how to vote on a ballot measure such as a library budget proposition.

I’m part of a professional library association that is a 501(c)(3), like the American Library Association, Association for College and Research Libraries, and the Society for American Archivists. Occasionally, the group issues statements in solidarity with various groups, for instance, in protest of police violence against Black people and against Anti-Asian violence. Most recently, the organization identified the hostility of the current political climate against diversity, inclusion, equity, and accessibility (values the organization holds as part of its mission) as a national threat. Are there legal or ethical boundaries for issuing such statements that we should be aware of? Would a statement by the president of the organization, not necessarily reflecting the views of the board/organization, for example, be safer for the organization and/or the president? If we speak out in favor of one group, do we have to do so for every group? There have been no statements in solidarity with women or the gender-queer community, for example, in spite of the violence and bias such individuals face.