The library has launched three new Black Lives Matter initiatives. (Sarah M. Parlette)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Ann Arbor District Library has launched three new initiatives intended to address anti-Black racism in the Ann Arbor community and add to community history.
Through the initiatives, the library system is seeking stories from community members, will put out of a call for artwork from Black artists and will engage community members with discussion materials.
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Here are the new initiatives:
Black Lives Matter Discussion Series
The series is intended to support community members engaging with materials related to anti-Black racism. The use of materials like poetry, fiction, music, podcasts and movies is intended to be inclusive and to provide introductory insight on racism.
Materials used for the series will be available online.
Call for Stories: Anti-Black Racism
In order to further document community history in Ann Arbor, AADL Archives to is asking for community members who has been affected by racism to share their stories. The library system is working with the African American Cultural and Historical Museum of Washtenaw County and seeks to document experiences to fill gaps in community history.
The initiative is looking for stories related to racism in personal or professional situations, housing and neighborhoods, anti-Black racism by organizations, racism by the police or government as well as experiences caused by family and friends.
Stories can be submitted through email, an online form or in a five-minute voicemail. Photos, documents, videos and other media are welcome with submissions.
Sarah has worked for WDIV since June 2018. She covers community events, good eats and small businesses in Ann Arbor and has a Master's degree in Applied Linguistics from Grand Valley State University.
