Dear Sisters, Brothers, and Kin,
On June 17, Peter had the honor of presenting the story of the East Side Freedom Library, via Zoom, to an international conference in Great Britain, sponsored by the UNESCO Associated Schools Programme Network. Entitled “The Arts and Culture for Peace Initiative: Connecting for Peace.” The conference organizers write: “We had an inspirational line-up of speakers and workshop hosts who shared innovation and examples of best practice in education for peaceful sustainable development. And we were excited to welcome over 90 attendees from over 30 countries across the globe, as you can see from the map below.”
We want to share the video of Peter’s half hour presentation with you, and we hope you will watch it.
How gratifying it is for our work—not Peter and Beth’s, but all of ours—to gain international recognition. This work connects the “local” with the “global,” the past with the present, accumulated knowledge with newly produced knowledge, and our neighbors with each other. This is manifested in our programs, as you will see when you look over what we’re curating for the second half of July. Visit our YouTube page to see videos of our past programs.
It is also manifested in how we organize our work, especially in the partnerships in which we are engaged. We have learned that the means we use shape the ends we achieve, that the best path to build solidarity is to work in solidarity. While much of this work is under the radar, we want to take a moment to share some of it with you. We are developing an African American Artists Archive in collaboration with the Minnesota African American Heritage Museum and Gallery, In Black Ink, Seitu Jones Studio and the Black Gate, Pillsbury House Theater, and the Million Artist Movement. In partnership with the Speaking Out Collective and the Minnesota Writing Project, we are helping to create curriculum and pedagogical strategies to place Dakota narratives at the center of the Minnesota history which is taught in elementary schools around the state. With the Ramsey County Historical Society and the Roseville Public Library, we curate “History Revealed” with a focus on “Natives, Immigrants, and Migrants.” Historic Saint Paul is our partner in the “Elevating Untold Stories” project to support work being done in neighborhoods and communities to tell their own stories. With the St. Paul Regional Labor Federation we have hosted an annual Union Jobs and Resource Fair. The Twin Cities Japanese American Citizens League collaborates with us on programming and building our book collection. Our partnerships with the Hmong Archives and the Karen Organization of Minnesota add books, art, and stories to our collections. Whew!
Help us celebrate this work, help us connect the global with the local, by joining us for National Night Out on Tuesday evening, August 2. We can build community by being in community. Find out for yourselves.
Love and Solidarity,
Beth Cleary and Peter Rachleff