Neel Agrawal

Libraries play a critical role in presenting inclusive histories, says Neel Agrawal, digital projects librarian at LMU’s William H. Hannon Library. “Working in libraries and archives allows me to channel my passion for advancing social justice and equitable access to knowledge,” he says.

As a member of LMU’s Inclusive History and Images Project, he collaborates with colleagues to collect stories and images involving Black, Latino/a and Latinx, Asian American and Pacific Islander, Indigenous, LGBTQ+, and differently embodied members of the LMU community. The project seeks to tell a more inclusive LMU history, and is a key piece of LMU’s Anti-Racism Project.

Agrawal leads and supports digital archiving projects for the library, including a project to document the history of displacing Mexican-American communities from the Chavez Ravine neighborhood, now home to Dodger Stadium. Agrawal and his colleagues in Archives and Special Collections also recently digitized an archive of Vida, a student-run newspaper that amplified the voices of Chicana/o/x and other marginalized communities at LMU from the 1970s until the 1990s.

“The library is at the forefront of fostering diversity, equity, inclusion, and access,” he says.

Agrawal is also an accomplished musician. As a percussionist, he received the COLA Artist Fellowship from the city of L.A. Department of Cultural Affairs, toured India as a sponsored party of the U.S. State Department, and collaborated with leading bands such as Young the Giant and Lord Huron. He brings this creative passion to campus, presenting workshops and performances in collaboration with Divine Gbagbo (Ethnomusicology) and Chris Chapple (Yoga Studies). In 2022, Agrawal was recognized by former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti for his work in South Asian arts, education, and advocacy.