The Library of Congress: Discriminating Language
Subject headings are used in the Library of Congress to allow information to be found easily. Subject Headings are used by librarians, who can use a term, or phrase to look up and find a document, book, or information effortlessly. One of the most controversial issues with specific subject headings is the use of the term “illegal alien”. What do you think of when you hear the term alien being used? A big, green, ugly animal with antennas, right? This term has been used to describe illegal immigrants for decades.
Melissa Padilla joined forces with Dartmouth students challenging the Library of Congress to eradicate the word from the shelves completely. Melissa states that “The term and the way people use it to criminalize the choices parents made in order to provide them with better lives, completely detracts from the brave choices and obstacles they may have overcome in order to survive.” In March, The Library of Congress pledged to erase the word “alien” from the shelves, when referring to undocumented workers.
Republicans such as, Lamar Smith, John Culberson, Ted Cruz, and Jeff Sessions then wrote back to the Library stating that “the library has bowed to the political pressure of the moment”. They continued to fight the Library until on June 10, a provision was added to the bills requiring that the Library retain the term “alien”.
The term “illegal alien” is still used to discriminate not only undocumented workers, but workers who are legal as well. Human beings are still human beings, regardless of their legal status. People are still enraged by the words used to discriminate immigrants. These wrongful words have stretched to “undocumented”, “illegal alien”, and “illegal immigrant”. To state that something or someone is “illegal”, is to say that they have no rights whatsoever. And, is that fair to repeal a human of their basic rights and needs? Some of these “illegal aliens” have contributed more to our economy and society than some of the citizens of the United States.
The Library of Congress could intact many different bills, to not only eradicate “illegal alien”, but other types of discriminatory language such as “negro”. If we erase discriminating language from the shelves of the Library of Congress, we are one step closer to an accepting and loving country.
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