Libraries as Safer Spaces: Racial Justice Book Discussion
Do you want to understand and take action on the social, economic and political issues we face today? Then join the Library and the YWCA as we discuss The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin. Discussion topics may include: the Black Lives Matter movement, mass incarceration, and poverty. This discussion will kick off the YWCA’s Stand Against Racism and highlights the YWCA’s mission to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.
Community Partners
YWCA
Marketing
We marketed this event with flyers, posters, a Facebook event and an email blast to our cardholders. The email blast seemed to be what got more people there.
Budget
Our event was catered privately, but you do not have to have food for a program like this. Having some bottled water on hand would be beneficial since people are talking a lot.
Program Execution
Planning - The YWCA first approached us about this book discussion. Every year, they hold a racial justice book club privately and they wanted to expand their reach externally and not just internally. Our then Chief Strategy and Technology Officer set up a meeting for us to collaborate. Without this initial high-level connection, I am not sure we would have ever crossed paths with the YWCA about a partnership like this. I highly suggest if you are going to do an event like this, to partner with an outside organization who are experts on the subjects you are discussing. This takes some of the stress of yourself and others who might be helping with the book discussion. They can help decide on what questions to ask and how to direct the conversation. I also recommend getting the most diverse panel you can so that all viewpoints can be present and heard. For the first step, our staff met with their program coordinator and made a reading list of all of the racial justice titles we had available in the library. We chose James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time based on its historical value, length, and access to this title. We chose the date by picking the day before the YWCA’s Stand Against Racism event. We chose to have this event at a branch so that it could be accessible to all. There was ample free parking and it is on the bus line. Next, the chair of the racial justice committee and I met to discuss questions and talk about the facilitation of this event. We were concerned that some people with differing viewpoints might attend this discussion. It was decided that as the library employee, I would be the person to field these issues, remarks, or actions. Luckily nothing like this happened, but it is always best to be prepared.
Day Of Program - This event was held in the evening from 6-8 p.m. and we used every second of that time. It is better to leave some time at the end for people to talk. We closed our location at 8, and people did not want to leave right away. We set up the meeting room in rows instead of a circle. Feedback after this event was that we should have done a circle instead so that everyone could look at the person who was talking. We showed a short clip of Raoul Peck’s I Am Not Your Negro film at the beginning of the discussion while everyone was getting seated. This film was based on Baldwin’s work and we wanted those who were unfamiliar with him to have some more context about his life and the role he played as a civil rights activist. Once questions started coming, there was not any silence. We had about twenty people in attendance and they were open and honest with us and each other.
