Tag: racial equality

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

In Invisible Man, an unnamed narrator moves through a series of events that highlight racism and inequality both in the society and in the people within the system.

This is a book that is difficult to describe and may need to be experienced.

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The writing is powerful and builds like a punch in sections. I listened to the audiobook while on a walk through the woods so maybe that’s why I was so sensitive to the rhythms.

I’m not a black man and I’ve never walked a mile in his shoes, but this book gives a short sojourn into another person’s life.

The material is sobering and shocking, at times, lyrical and beautiful in others. Rather like life.

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At the end of the book, I found myself hopeful for the narrator. Hopeful that he would move forward from all of the challenges that he faced into a new dawn of understanding and racial equality.

I’m always hopeful for improvement. Always.

I think society sometimes uses aspects of our lives (like gender, race, social status, level of education, sexual orientation) to place people into tidy boxes or make them invisible like the narrator in Ellison’s novel.

One way to combat this evil is to know that we’re not alone as we travel through life. We’re all in this together. We see each other and acknowledge each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

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We are seen and appreciated for our uniqueness by the communities we create. It’s a big responsibility.

I read this classic because it is painted on the staircase of the library where I work. I’m trying to read all of the classics recorded there in an effort to become “classically” well-read.

What do I mean by classics? The most-tagged classics on Goodreads.com include such notable books as “1984” by George Orwell, “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger, and “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck.

Of those three, dear readers, I’ve only read one.

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So, the next problem with this aspiration of mine is — Where do I start? Who is the definitive voice when it comes to choosing classics?

Who better than a library, I thought, literally.

I had the privilege of working at O’Fallon Public Library during the Great Renovation of 2015 to 2016. One of my favorite pieces of improved library space (other than the bubble wall!) are the book spines that were painted on our stairs.

I’d like to invite everyone to read along with me as I “climb the stairs” by reading the classics listed there. The goal is to share the books our community deemed important enough to preserve in our library space for all time.

The next title on the steps is Watership Down, another classic that I have not had the pleasure of reading. (Portions of this review first appeared on the O’Fallon Public Library’s blog.)

Thanks for reading!

Freedom Libraries: The Untold Story of Libraries for African Americans in the South by Mike Selby

Freedom Libraries: The Untold Story of Libraries for African Americans in the South by Mike Selby

In Freedom Libraries, Mike Selby remembers and honors the volunteers and patrons of the numerous libraries set up to serve black populations mainly in the southern states during the civil rights era and later.

During that period of history, the institutionalized racism of many southern towns extended to library services. Books and learning programs were specifically curated at whites-only libraries in order to propagate the disgusting ideology of white supremacy in addition to keeping the black population illiterate and subjugated.

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“Pattie Mae McDonald operated a “Freedom Library” out of two rooms of her modest home. This was enough to earn her and her family terror and attempted murder.”

The volunteers and anyone who was brave enough to visit the freedom libraries, set up in private homes and wherever a semi-safe space could be found, were subject to shootings, harassment and arrest by local authorities, and even fire bombings. Some gave not only of their time but also their lives to keep the freedom libraries going. It is a frightening and dark moment in library history that, I feel, has been largely forgotten, until now.

“The right to vote would be everything for African Americans. The right to read would be something else entirely. Voting would make them citizens; libraries would make them free.”

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In addition to remembering the bravery and sacrifice of those involved with the freedom libraries, this book illustrates some of the particular problems of librarianship that came along with the creation of the libraries.

Sadly, the American Library Association did little, if anything, to assist in the creation of freedom libraries, even though their written policies were against segregation. Very few of the volunteers who ran the organizations knew anything about cataloging and maintaining library collections. There was no money for curating books or creating community programs. Yet, somehow, the freedom libraries persevered in both expanding their collections and offering a wide variety of enriching and educational programming in the midst of life-threatening situations.

This perseverance may have had something to do with the uniquely fluid characteristics of libraries themselves.

As Selby points out, after the firebombing of the McComb Freedom House: “With the building still smoldering, the after-school youth just waited on the ground outside. The children somehow knew what many adults in the twenty first century have difficulty grasping: the fact that a library is a service, not a collection. A library exists for the librarians and patrons, not the other way around.”

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Highly recommended for readers who like to remember forgotten moments in history and for anyone who knows, or would like to learn more about, the power and life-changing reality of public libraries.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free digital copy of this book. And thank you for reading.