ESFL logo

The Labor Movement: Conversations Between Past and Present

Apr 4, 2022 | Blog

Dear Sisters, Brothers, and Kin, Over the past month, we have seen exciting developments in the labor movement, locally and nationally. St. Paul educators came to the very precipice of a strike before reaching a significant agreement with the St. Paul Public Schools....

History Portrait: Cy Thao

Mar 19, 2022 | Blog, Book Geek Shelf Talkers

  By Maxwell Yang During the winter of 2022, I had the opportunity to work with the East Side Freedom Library as a means of giving back to my community. The East Side Freedom Library (ESFL) is a place filled with history. It’s a gathering of intricate details and a...

Producing Knowledge to Produce a Better Future

Mar 15, 2022 | Blog

Sisters, Brothers, and Kin, As we write this blog, we share a sense of crisis, from continued uncertainty about the pandemic and its future course, to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the strike by Minneapolis teachers and educational support staff. We also stand...

Finding Hope Beneath the Radar of the Dominant Narrative

Mar 1, 2022 | Blog

Sisters, Brothers, and Kin, We are living in challenging times. We write to you amidst the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with its consequent violence and displacement of so many, on top of the pandemic, the police murders of African American men, the surge of violence...

Sources of Resources

Feb 7, 2022 | Blog

Dear Sisters, Brothers, and Kin, Despite the pandemic, the East Side Freedom Library continues to provide resources, from books and research materials to programs and community discussions, in pursuit of our mission to “inspire solidarity, work for justice, and...

Patrick DesJarlait

Feb 2, 2022 | Blog

Written by Sophie Auerbach We are living in an historical moment when representations – statues, public murals, monuments, and more – have become contested objects. Too often, the meaning in these objects have been shaped by dominant narratives and have...