With great enthusiasm, we share the news that Rebecca Nichloson is the East Side Freedom Library’s new Executive Director. Rebecca joined ESFL on November 3. She has 15+ years of executive-level leadership experience; including in racial and gender justice, movement building, organizational strategy, communications, and narrative and culture change.
“East Side Freedom Library is very lucky to have someone like Rebecca join us: she’s an immensely talented artist, cultural worker and organizer. She understands ESFL’s potential as a force for positive change and impact in community engagement. I firmly believe she’s the leader ESFL needs at this moment. We’re excited to have her onboard, and for the vision she has to lead the organization in this turbulent, dynamic season we find ourselves in.” – Wilt Hodges, ESFL Board Chair
Rebecca is a passionate advocate for communities of color, queer communities and historically marginalized groups, and believes in the power of the humanities, arts, and cultural learning to advance social justice and equity. She has held leadership roles in the fields of narrative and cultural strategy, initiatives grounded in BIPOC liberation, and at organizations centering community wisdom, civic technology, equity and intersectionality. She’s the founder of the Kaleidoscope Project (MN); a human-centered design approach to building multicultural solidarity through creative writing, and Cleveland-Harris (a fiscally-sponsored cultural advocacy & public imagination project). Rebecca has taught at the Loft Literary Center and Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and is an award-winning playwright, creative writer, performer, and interdisciplinary artist. Rebecca holds an Master of Fine Arts from Columbia University, an M.A. in English Literature, a B.A. in Liberal Arts/Business Administration, and studied publishing at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
“I’m so excited to have been chosen to lead such an amazing organization. At a time when our collective freedom is more vulnerable than ever; and the rights of immigrants, workers, queer, and trans people are under attack, it’s so important to reflect on the past to understand our present. I’m looking forward to continuing to build upon the myriad histories, experiences, and insights that make us stronger, resilient, and better prepared to face the future.”
As Executive Director, Rebecca will help advance ESFL’s mission to mobilize community knowledge for solidarity, justice and equity, while continuing the organization’s work with labor unions and partnerships with community members, artists, culture bearers and movement builders.
“Who knew when we launched ESFL in the summer of 2014 how vital it would become to the fight not just for equity and solidarity but for democracy itself? As cruelty and authoritarianism threaten our community and our entire country; our collections, meeting space, and programs are needed more than ever. We look forward to following Executive Director Rebecca Nichloson and the powerful staff team as they blaze the path for this great organization. We invite you to join us in this journey. We’re making a significant donation to ESFL to celebrate this leadership transition, and we hope you will too. Love and Solidarity.” — Beth Cleary and Peter Rachleff, ESFL co-founders.
About the East Side Freedom Library: Founded in 2014, ESFL is a non-circulating library in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood of St. Paul, MN, home to a collection of more than 35,000 works on labor, migration, diasporic histories, gender rights, democracy, and the arts. The Library serves as a hub for learning, creativity, and action—mobilizing community knowledge to advance solidarity, justice, and equity for all.
Your support; no matter the size, will help ESFL continue to preserve the stories, histories, and cultural legacies that make social change possible.
To make a donation visit eastsidefreedomlibrary.org/donate/