Dear Sisters, Brothers, and Kin,
This has been quite a year for us all. While we are eager to leave 2020 behind and look with hope to 2021, this is also time to reflect on some of our accomplishments, some in spite of the pandemic, some because of the pandemic.
We have added thousands of books to our collection, including such notable donations as: a selection of theater artist Marion McClinton’s books and papers; a treasure-trove of Tom McGrath’s poetry; an amazing range of adult education and critical pedagogy materials; a set of Walter Mosley’s “Easy Rawlins” novels, signed by the author. Each of these collections brings added spirit into our space.
National History Day’s 2020 theme of “Breaking Barriers in History” hit our sweet spot, and our team of mentors worked with more than 100 middle and high school students who found inspiration in learning and telling the stories of the civil rights, women’s, labor, and gay rights movements. While some students were highly successful in the competition, all of them learned not only new skills and a new sense of American history, but a new sense of their own capacities. We look forward to mentoring students—remotely—in 2021’s contest, around the theme “Communications in History.”
COVID-19 has challenged us on many levels and is really the big story of 2020. By late March, we were shifting our programs from our beautiful, welcoming space to an online format. The ESFL team, led by collaborator Carla Riehle, learned the technologies of Zoom and streaming, and we began to post programs on our Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter platforms. We have worked hard to make our programs as interactive as possible. We have also taken advantage of the technology to include people who are not physically present here in the Twin Cities. Our Labor History Reading Group, for instance, has included the author of our reading, wherever they might be. We encourage you to watch some of our archived programs and to join us for upcoming events (see those featured in this newsletter, for example).
The inequitable impacts of the pandemic and the rise of movements against systemic racism have impressed upon us the value of ESFL’s mission to “inspire solidarity, work for justice, and advocate for equity for all.” As we have shaped our programs, and as we look ahead to 2021, we are centering these concerns throughout our work: curating workshops among African American and Asian-American writers exploring “Afro-Asian solidarity;” building a working group of organizations to seek East Side Housing Justice; convening conversations about paths to equitable access to broadband on the East Side; helping to build an annual “Union Jobs and Resource Fair,” which connects immigrants with union apprenticeship programs; teaching the history of workers, unions, and immigrants on the East Side; and more.
Thank you for being part of the East Side Freedom Library’s extended family. Stay safe and well.
In love and solidarity,
Peter Rachleff