Freedom and Libraries
“Isn’t it awful not to be able to go to
a public library and get an interesting book
without being put out and given
a hateful look ”
“Freedom Libraries: The Untold Story of Libraries for African Americans in the South”
I checked out this book, along with 5 or 6 others, from my neighborhood library in the Before Times. At that time, in late February, there was no way I could have known how dear that singular library trip would become to me. When I attempted to read this book a few months ago, I struggled to get through the introduction. When I picked it up again last week, it resonated on a totally different level.
Over the course of nearly 100 days of sheltering-in-place and thinking about the places and rituals I treasured and being forced once again to contemplate and process the U.S.’s legacy of anti-Black racism, I’ve been drawn to books that center things that bring me joy and libraries have been a consistent source of joy throughout my life. I’ve moved around a lot and one of the rituals that helps me feel like a place is home is getting my library card. My most recent one (shown), from the San Francisco Public Library system, is illustrated by the amazing illustrator, Christian Robinson, and I love that it shows a little Black girl reading.
At first glance, I didn’t understand the book’s cover image, but on closer look, it’s clear that at least one of the people is holding a shotgun: the image is of two men protecting a Freedom Library in Holmes County, Mississippi.
The short book highlights Freedom Libraries and the people who built them from imagination, determination, and sheer will and focuses on Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, and surprisingly to me, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I had never thought about segregation in libraries, but duh, that’s what public life was before the hard-won success of the Civil Rights movement. This short, but potent, book introduced me to Freedom Libraries and the insanely brave young people who went down South to set them up during the Freedom Summer of 1964. In addition to introducing new Freedom Fighters to my pantheon, it situated familiar names such as Stokely Carmichael and Michael Schwerner in a different timeline and context for me. By the time I was finished reading, I had a somehow even deeper love and gratitude for my own literacy, my parents cultivating my love of books, and the critical role formal and informal libraries play in an informed society.
During a time when many cities will be facing unprecedented budget cuts, I hope individuals and communities will protect and defend their libraries by prioritizing their funding.
Libraries are worth fighting for whether literally or figuratively.
Recommendations
Research your city or town’s library budget and figure out how you can advocate for funding.
If your public library has a “Friends of [Your Town’s] Public Library”, like the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library, become a member and get involved.
Volunteer for a literacy organization such as Reading Partners.
Buy books about diverse characters. Now and always.
“Living For The City”
“I hope you hear inside my voice of sorrow
And that it motivates you to make a better tomorrow
This place is cruel no where could be much colder
If we don't change the world will soon be over
Living just enough, stop giving just enough for the city”
-Living for the City x Stevie Wonder
The City We Became x N.K. Jemisin is a love letter to one of the greatest cities in the world (ask a New Yorker, they’ll tell you) and to the people and classes of people that make cities worth living in: creators, strivers, dreamers, doers, longterm residents, and those willing to fight for what they love. When I first heard about The City We Became, I was in no questions asked. I ordered the book a few weeks, months, years ago when shelter-in-place started for me and waited.
I’ve found that so much of my experience in reading a book depends on when in my life I’m encountering it. By the time it arrived on my doorstep I had had several weeks of wondering what would become of my city and cities across the United States and around the world in the aftermath of quarantining and sheltering-in-place in the age of COVID-19. so this book hit different, as the kids say.
The premise is that cities are living, dynamic entities-anyone who lives in or has visited one probably knows and feels this to be true, but Jemisin works magic by looping us into a secret about how easy it is for the essence of cities to die. Our story starts with a Prologue by an unnamed character that was so potent I couldn’t help but be drawn in, rooting for this kid who is young and gifted and also poor and Black. He makes the acquaintance of an older guy who hips him to the fact that something strange is happening in New York and then we’re off to the races to save New York. We then meet people who are also living for the city. Our team of characters/boroughs are introduced in such an elegant way-beyond stereotypes or caricatures of the boroughs, Jemisin provides historical context and substance to explain how we’ve come to know Manny, Bronca, Brooklyn, Padmini, and Aislyn.
The novel is a defiant allegory and for some it might feel too on the nose, but I think Jemisin’s prose keeps the story from being simplistic and the reader on their toes.
I don’t want to say much more because there’s so much delight and affirmation to be found in its pages. You have to experience it for yourself.
Who’s this story for? Me and you, your mama, and your cousin too. Seriously, if you’ve
Ever visited the city that never sleeps or wanted to
Known a New Yorker
Thought about community building
Protested against gentrification
Feared that your city is losing its unique qualities
Been craving a literary escape
If you haven’t read this book, stop, drop, turn around and patronize your favorite independent bookshop and buy the book. Consider buying from Harriett’s Bookshop or The Booksmith. Once you receive your copy, do yourself a favor and listen to Stevie Wonder’s iconic song “Living for the City” before diving in. I think it’s a perfect complement to The City We Became.
Happy Reading!