Our work at the East Side Freedom Library is informed by the story of the sankofa bird, a creature in the mythology of the Akan people of West Africa. Flying forward while facing backward and carrying an egg in its mouth, it reminds us that in order to understand our present and ensure our future, we must know our past.
Understanding how the present emerged out of the past helps us to make choices and take actions that can shape our future. This is especially so if we pay attention to the ways that people like us—indigenous people, immigrants, workers, people of color, women, GLBTQ+ people, artists, educators, activists—worked to shape their own situations. This is what scholars call “agency,” taking informed action to impact one’s own milieu. Such work is more important than ever, as we confront the challenges posed by the pandemic, the economic crisis, and systemic racism.
Join us for our first Quiz Bowl, an exercise in “UnMapping St. Paul,” which will test the knowledge of retired public officials and realtors, while suggesting to audience members just how much hidden history there is in our capitol city. Learn about struggles for workers’ rights, for civil rights, for women’s rights which shaped our history—while having fun!
Get your children and grandchildren, your nieces and nephews, your students and neighbors, ready for National History Day 2021. The theme is Communications in History. A wonderful team of collaborators has mentored middle and high school students here for the past six years, helping to create great learning experiences for them. This year we are adapting with a Saturday morning “Zoom room” and a system to ensure everyone’s safety while providing remote one-on-one mentoring. Learn more here! We can always use more mentors. Please let us know if you’re interested.
Love and Solidarity,
Beth Cleary and Peter Rachleff