Jack and Jill Birmingham chapter donate to Smithfield Library in honor of Carole Robertson
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| The Smithfield Library staff has a lot of books to sort through! |
By Cheyenne Trujillo | Public Relations
The Birmingham Public Library (BPL) Smithfield Branch Library is deeply grateful to the teens and mothers of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. Birmingham chapter for their thoughtful donation.
The Smithfield Library staff began their work week by accepting a large book donation and board display honoring the life of Carole Robertson from the Birmingham chapter.
Ms. Overton, a representative of Jack and Jill Birmingham chapter, reached out to Librarian Ⅱ Sequoria Lewis at the Smithfield Library about the donation they had planned for this year.
Speaking on the impact of this donation, Sequoria shared:
“We are grateful for the donation from Jack and Jill; the books will provide the surrounding communities an opportunity to take books home to create their own personal libraries in hopes of establishing cultural enrichment in their personal spaces.”
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| Sequoria stands under the new display with Jack and Jill Birmingham members |
Members of Jack and Jill of America have children between the ages of two to 19 that they raise with leadership development, volunteer service, philanthropic giving, and civic duty as a part of the organization.
They were founded in 1938 by Marion Stubbs Thomas and now have over 230 chapters nationwide.
Carole Robertson holds a special place in the heart of Jack and Jill of America, Inc.
She lived in the Smithfield community, attended Parker High School, and was an active member in the Jack and Jill Birmingham chapter.
Even her mother, Alpha Robertson, was a regional director of Jack and Jill of America, Inc., Southeastern Region.
After Carole Robertson’s tragic death in the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing, Jack and Jill of America, Inc. voted to honor her annually on September 15 as Carole Robertson Day.
Previously, the Jack and Jill Birmingham chapter donated more books and a brightly colored bench to the Smithfield Library in honor of Carole Robertson, too.
This bench is placed in the foyer and is designated as the Carole Robertson Reading Corner.
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| The bench sits right near one of the main Smithfield entrances. |
Smithfield Library is intertwined with the city’s civil rights history as Birmingham’s first black public library.
On the anniversary of the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing, Smithfield Library hosted Sarah Collins Rudolph, the sole survivor of that hate crime, as she discussed her new book, The 5th Little Girl.
You can still hear from Sarah Collins Rudolph on her life, the loss of her sister Addie Mae Collins, and her journey toward healing on the Birmingham Public Library Facebook page.
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| The books are spilling over the table! |
Patrons will soon be able to peruse the books donated by the Jack and Jill Birmingham chapter.
Sequoria added, “...in the coming days they [community members] will have an opportunity to come in to browse the collection, choose what they want and ‘read it forward’.”
Keep up with the Jack and Jill Birmingham chapter on their Instagram account, and stay up to date with the BPL on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
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