Join Read-In For Justice with the Southside Branch Library on Feb 26

Save the date for Saturday, February 26. Flyer from Gelenda Norman.

The theme for Black History Month 2022 is black health and wellness. What better time to focus on health and wellness in the black community than now? 

The pandemic, along with injustices around the country, truly affected the health and wellness of African Americans among others. People infected by COVID-19 and those around them suffered physically, mentally/emotionally, socially, and spiritually.

Loss of jobs and workplaces shifting back and forth from working from home caused new stresses and mental challenges. Quarantine, isolation, Zoom, and Facetime changed the face of social interaction.  

Symptoms of the virus left many with long-term health issues. The multitude of lives lost continues to wreak havoc on the minds and emotions of those who lost someone and those witnessing the rising numbers in the news. 

All of this leave a feeling of hopelessness. When one facet of health is weakened, the rest diminish as well.

But that can change.

In 2020, the Birmingham Public Library launched Read-In for Justice and was a finalist for the Urban Libraries Council award that same year. And it all started with this:

The community needed to hear the voices of our children tell the story. 

Read-In for Justice formed to amplify the voices of local storytellers and authors, activists, media personalities, and community advocates to reach the diverse literature community and turn people into storytellers, or griots. 

This Read-In for Justice for Black History Month will showcase black health and wellness with the voices of local health professionals reading stories by black authors.

Using their stories, our readers will empower us to develop, strengthen, and jumpstart our health and wellness. In return, we will heal our community's health and wellness. 

Join the Birmingham Public Library's Southside Branch Library on Saturday, February 26, 2022, from 10:00 a.m.—11:00 a.m. via Facebook Live for Read-In for Justice!

By Gelenda Norman | Library Assistant Ⅲ, Southside Branch Library