Saturday, June 20, 2020

Here is a resource for FREE anti-racist training available through June 30. Check it out.

https://www.driep.org/anti-racism-training



Thursday, June 18, 2020

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HAVE A PROUD AND HAPPY JUNETEENTH!
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CELEBRATE SAFELY
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Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.
From its Galveston, Texas origin in 1865, the observance of June 19th as the African American Emancipation Day has spread across the United States and beyond.
Today Juneteenth commemorates African American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement. It is a day, a week, and in some areas a month marked with celebrations, guest speakers, picnics and family gatherings. It is a time for reflection and rejoicing. It is a time for assessment, self-improvement and for planning the future. Its growing popularity signifies a level of maturity and dignity in America long over due. In cities across the country, people of all races, nationalities and religions are joining hands to truthfully acknowledge a period in our history that shaped and continues to influence our society today. Sensitized to the conditions and experiences of others, only then can we make significant and lasting improvements in our society. 
General Order Number 3
One of General Granger’s first orders of business was to read to the people of Texas, General Order Number 3 which began most significantly with:
"The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer."
The celebrations that followed the reading of the proclamation by General Gordon Granger began a tradition that has lasted for one hundred and fifty five years, and today is hosted in cities across America and beyond. The JUNETEENTH.com website is dedicated to this celebration and to those who tirelessly contribute to its continued existence and growth. For information regarding this website, contact us via email or call: 504 242-4691

Wednesday, June 3, 2020

Here is a link to the School Library Journal's list of antiracist resources for all ages.
http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2020/06/02/antiracist-resources-and-reads-lists-for-all-ages/
Please make use of this critically important information.

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Book Club is back.
No, not in person, but virtually. We have chosen a book for May/June that we can all read online. E..M. Forster's classic, "A Room with a View" is not available through regular library channels but can be obtained from a number of sites including Project Gutenberg (www.gutenberg.org), Google Books (books.google.com) and Spark Notes (www.sparknotes.com which also includes background information and analysis of the text.) We will also have a few paperback copies we can make available. We will read a few chapters each week. Comments can be shared on our Face Book page. For 5/27, we are reading chapters 1-4.
It is a story of two young British ladies on vacation in Florence, and it opens with a dinner scene in which they decry the fact that the rooms they have been given don’t have a view of the Arno. Enter the melancholy hero and his father, who offer up their rooms with a view, thus offending the sensibilities of the two Edwardian cousins. Published in 1908, the novel is a delightful romance with a blatant critique of English society and a window into its changing times. Links will be posted on our Sharon Springs Face Book page and blog site (http://shslib.blogspot.com). Send an email to HThomas1@mvls.info if you need assistance accessing the book.