Dear Sisters, Brothers, and Kin,

The West Indian scholar-activist C.L.R. James said his (and our) task is to find the future in the present. Where do we see the relationships, values, and behaviors in our everyday lives that could be the building blocks of the society in which we want to live? Such a quest has informed our work at the East Side Freedom Library since we began eight years ago, and it has been manifested from the development of our collections and the curation of our programming to our collaborations with other organizations.

Our volunteer catalogers have recently processed and shelved three amazing collections:

(1) Bill Onasch’s books and pamphlets. A labor activist, first in the Twin Cities and then in Kansas City, Bill dedicated his life to organizing for economic and racial justice, from the workplace to public transportation (he worked many years as a bus driver) to popular culture (he developed a bus tour of Kansas City’s jazz history). His collection includes an extensive library of labor theory and history, and a rich collection of journals and pamphlets, many of which are not available in other libraries.

(2) Marion McClinton’s books and playscripts. Born in the Rondo community in the 1950s and a member of the Penumbra team from the late 1970s on, Marion worked closely with playwright August Wilson in the development of many of his plays which explored African American experiences across the 20th century. Marion’s collection includes a wide selection of plays from Shakespeare and Chekhov to contemporary African American writers, along with a treasure trove of history, fiction, and inspirational literature.

(3) The in-house library of the Jerome Foundation. This diverse and delicious collection includes the publications (books, journals, chapbooks, pamphlets) which resulted from fellowships awarded by the Foundation since its establishment in the mid-1960s. This organization, and, particularly its support of emerging authors, has had a major impact on the vitality of the Twin Cities literary scene. Our catalogers have been breathless at the richness of this collection, and we hope it will inspire future generations of writers from the diverse communities of the East Side and beyond.

The seeds of the future are not contained only on our shelves. On Saturday, July 30, ESFL hosted two programs which foretell a hopeful and exciting future. In the early afternoon, via Zoom, we convened a panel discussion among three young Starbucks baristas who have played significant roles in unionizing their stores. We were inspired not only by their stories and their accomplishments, but also by their determination to facilitate a better life for working people across the American landscape. Subscribe to ESFL’s YouTube channel for the video of this conversation. It will soon be edited and posted by our colleague, Bailey Ethier.

On the evening of July 30, the remarkable musicians Douglas Ewart, Mankwe Ndosi, and Davu Seru, joined by their special guest from South Africa, Thokozani Mhlambi, dazzled and inspired a substantial audience on our front lawn. The program opened with Thokozani reading (and translating) poetry in Zulu which had informed the foundation of the African National Congress in the WWI era, and closed with the performers being joined by Donald Washington, Queen Drea, and Sarah Greer for an improvised exhortation to “be the wind that blows the dust” and “be the dust.” Mankwe read from Alexis Pauline Gumbs’ latest book, UNDROWNED, while Douglas led the crowd in a chant of “We are the wind” and “We are the dust.”

As the wind blows the dust in the present, we can see the future. Join us for our upcoming programs.

Love and Solidarity,
Beth and Peter