The Board of Directors of the Society of California Archivists echoes the American Library Association’s disappointment in the firing of Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden by President Trump. 

As ALA President Cindy Hohl stated on May 9th, "Dr. Hayden’s abrupt and unjust dismissal is an insult to the scope and breadth of work Dr. Hayden has undertaken in her role leading the Library of Congress.”1 As per the New York Times, “Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said the administration believed Dr. Hayden ‘did not fit the needs of the American people,’ and that her firing resulted from ‘quite concerning things that she had done at the Library of Congress in the pursuit of D.E.I.’”2 SCA is, at its core, an organization that develops, supports, and promotes archival education to all individuals regardless of national origin, race, orientation, or religion, making it fundamentally in disagreement with the Trump Administration’s anti-DEI efforts.

California’s archival community includes people of color, members of the LGBTQI community, immigrants, religious clergy, and people with disabilities. The records we hold document the historical past, transform communities, and promote unity and understanding. We value diversity in all its manifestations.

In solidarity,

The Board of Directors of the Society of California Archivists

1. “ALA Praises Service of Dr. Carla Hayden, Decries ‘Unjust Dismissal’ of Librarian of Congress | ALA,” accessed May 12, 2025. 

2. Erica L. Green, “Trump Fired Librarian of Congress Over D.E.I.,” The New York Times, May 9, 2025, sec. U.S., https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/09/us/politics/hayden-library-of-congress-dei.html.