Read-In for Justice to be Held June 18 in Ensley’s Learning Tree Park

By Gelenda Norman| Central Library Youth Department

Kick off your 2021 Juneteenth weekend by joining the Birmingham Public Library’s first in-person Read-In for Justice. This nationally-recognized program will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Friday, June 18, the eve of the annual Juneteenth  celebration. It will take place in Learning Tree Park adjacent to the Five Points West Library, 4812 Ave. W (across from the Birmingham Complex). 

Previous Read-In for Justice programs were held virtually on the Birmingham Public Library Facebook page.  This will be the first held outdoors for the public, allowing in-person participation. 

Read-In for Justice was formed in June 2020 amid national protests of racial injustice sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. After racial protests were held across the country including Birmingham, Rachel Estes, Outreach Coordinator of Canterbury United Methodist Church, learned of a similar event held in Huntsville and reached out to staff at the Birmingham Public Library and community activists to make it happen in Birmingham. 

Originally set to be held at Avondale Park outside Avondale Library, Covid-19 restrictions led Read-In for Justice to be held virtually via the Birmingham Public Library Facebook page. 

Read-In for Justice was a big hit, sparking requests for follow-up events and gaining national recognition when BPL's racial justice program was featured on the Urban Libraries Council website. 

Throughout the year, readers of all races and of diverse backgrounds used Read-In for Justice to:

 • Share their voices and even personal stories to educate the public about civil rights journeys of the past

 • Empower and uplift children and teens 

• Raise awareness of injustice within various cultures, including blacks, whites, Latinos and other races

 • Ultimately celebrate diversity

Hosted via Facebook Live by BPL Outreach Librarian Candice Hardy, Read-In for Justice has expanded beyond authors reading books on race and social justice. To get an idea of what to expect, click on the links below to previous programs that aired on the BPL Facebook page:

Read in for Justice debut June 27, 2020  https://www.facebook.com/BirminghamPublicLibrary/videos/582911772598387 

Read in for Justice: July 11, 2020  https://www.facebook.com/BirminghamPublicLibrary/videos/1388603744684229 

Read in for Justice: Let the Children Speak spotlight on1963 Children's March in Birmingham August 8, 2020 https://www.facebook.com/BirminghamPublicLibrary/videos/733853867188299 

“We were fortunate to have one of the students, Janice Wesley Kelsey, who participated in the March as well as the author, Monica Clark-Robinson, of “Let the Children March," said Gelenda Norman, a BPL staffer involved in organizing Read-In for Justice. "Area high school students who were participants in The Flourish Alabama Summer Poetry Camp also shared their voices to read works written by them during the camp.

Read in for Justice: Hispanic Heritage Month, September 12, 2020   https://www.facebook.com/BirminghamPublicLibrary/videos/680948059185616 

 Read-In for Justice Celebrates Women’s History Month., March 27, 2021

 Norman said she is excited to see Read-In for Justice be able to achieve the original goal of being presented outdoors before live audiences. 

 “We will have past readers and new readers, along with the giveaway of books and other surprises,” Norman said. “We want to kick off the celebration of Juneteenth.” 

Juneteenth (short for “June Nineteenth”) marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed. The troops’ arrival came a full two and a half years after the signing by President Abraham Lincoln of the Emancipation Proclamation, a document freeing slaves. Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday. 

For more details about the programs and services at BPL, click on our website www.cobpl.org or go to our Facebook  or Twitter pages. 

You can also find a listing of over 40 free virtual programs and 14 "grab n go" craft activities being offered this summer as part of the BPL 2021 Summer Learning Program by clicking here.