The East Side Freedom Library was founded in 2013 by Peter Rachleff and Beth Cleary. In 2014, ESFL opened its doors in the former Arlington Hills Public Library building, one of three historic Carnegie libraries in Saint Paul.
Beth Cleary is a theater director and scholar, a long-time certified yoga instructor and somatic movement educator. She is a retired Macalester College Theatre Professor, where she long served as the chair of the Theater and Dance Department.
Peter Rachleff is a labor historian, a Minnesota-based, nationally-recognized scholar and commentator on labor issues, immigration and race. He is a retired Macalester College History Professor, where he specialized in American labor, African American history, and immigration history. Peter continues to conduct workshops for labor unions in Minnesota and across the U.S.
Beth Cleary and Peter Rachleff served as Co-Executive Directors of ESFL for nine years and retired in 2022. As scholars and longtime East Side residents, they founded the East Side Freedom Library as a center for learning, appreciation of community history, and expression of community identity, while contributing to the wider recognition of the East Side’s significance in the past, present, and future of Saint Paul.
More information about Peter, Beth, and their journey to open the East Side Freedom Library may be found in the book, Reinventing the People’s Library, by Greg Gaut. Visit ESFL to learn more or contact us about purchasing a copy to add to your own collection.