The spring of 2020 surfaced unprecedented challenges, with a global pandemic and societal unrest initiated by highly publicized police killings of citizens in Minnesota, Kentucky, and elsewhere. Although for many people throughout the US and Canada, the confluence of events has brought a new level of awareness and new vocabulary for such issues as wide disparities in health treatment and outcomes for communities of color, or the concept of systemic racism, these realities and taxonomies have been studied and written about for generations. The content for this issue of "Research Library Issues" (RLI) was planned and solicited long before COVID-19 or global protests for racial equity. The topics and themes, however, remain relevant, with perspectives that offer both practical applications of existing and emerging theories and practices, as well as more aspirational reflections. The three articles include: (1) "Redefining Student Success in the Academic Library: Building a Critically Engaged Undergraduate Engagement Program" (Teresa Helena Moreno and Jennifer M. Jackson); (2) "How a Global Pandemic and Racial Unrest Are Impacting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work in Research Libraries" (Mark A. Puente, Twanna Hodge, Maha Kumaran, and Jeff Witt); and "Improving Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Libraries: Programs and Methodologies to Consider (Kiyomi Deards and Mark A. Puente).