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Boston Public Library

Boston Public Library (BPL) was the first large free municipal library in the United States. The present Copley Square location has been home to the Library since 1895, when architect Charles Follen McKim completed his "palace for the people." Between 1870 and 1900, twenty-two additional Branches began serving communities throughout Boston's diverse neighborhoods. In 1972 the Library expanded its Copley Square location with the opening of an addition designed by Philip Johnson. Today, the McKim building houses the BPL's vast research collection and the Johnson building holds the circulating collection of the general library and serves as headquarters for the Boston Public Library's 26 branch libraries. In addition to its 6.1 million books, the library boasts over 1.2 million rare books and manuscripts, a wealth of maps, musical scores and prints. Among its large collections, the BPL holds several first edition folios by William Shakespeare, original music scores from Mozart to Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf;" and, in its rare book collection, the personal library of John Adams. Over 2.2 million patrons visit the BPL each year, many in pursuit of research material, others looking for an afternoon's reading, still others for the magnificent and unique art and architecture.break

http://www.bpl.org/

Robin DiAngelo, Ph.D — Nice Racism & White Fragility

Mon, Oct 17, 2022

Author of New York Times (NYT) Bestseller White Fragility joins Boston Public Library President for fireside-style chat. In this talk, Robin DiAngelo explains how racism is at play in white people and how to bring awareness on our condition, own racism to make change and stop living a segregated life. ### About Nice Racism: How Progressive White People Perpetuate Racial Harm Based on her second NYT Bestselling book, Dr. DiAngelo identifies many common white racial patterns and breaks down how well-intentioned white people unawarely perpetuate racial harm. These patterns include rushing to prove that we are “not racist,” downplaying white advantage, romanticizing Black, Indigenous and other peoples of color (BIPOC), pretending white segregation “just happens,” expecting BIPOC people to teach us about racism, carefulness, guilt and shame. She offers a series of reflection questions, an assessment tool, and a list of the skills and perspectives that can counter “nice” racism. ### About White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard For White People To Talk About Racism White people in the U.S. live in a racially insular social environment. This insulation builds our expectations for racial comfort while at the same time lowering our stamina for enduring racial stress. I term this lack of racial stamina “White Fragility.” White Fragility is a state in which even a minimal challenge to the white position becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves including: argumentation, invalidation, silence, withdrawal and claims of being attacked and misunderstood.

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Boston Public Library Lowell Lecture - Dr. Eddie Glaude, Jr.

Wed, Jun 8, 2022

New York Times Bestselling Author and Princeton professor Dr. Glaude in conversation with Boston Public Library President David Leonard will confront our nation’s history, shedding new light on the complexities of race and democracy. One of the nation’s most prominent scholars, Dr. Eddie Glaude, Jr. is an author, political commentator, public intellectual and passionate educator who examines the complex dynamics of the American experience. His writings, including Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul, In a Shade of Blue: Pragmatism and the Politics of Black America, and his most recent, the New York Times bestseller, Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for our Own, takes a wide look at Black communities, the difficulties of race in the United States and the challenges we face as a democracy. In his writing and speaking, Glaude is an American critic in the tradition of James Baldwin and Ralph Waldo Emerson, confronting history and bringing our nation’s complexities, vulnerabilities and hope into full view. Hope that is, in one of his favorite quotes from W.E.B. Du Bois, "not hopeless, but a bit unhopeful."

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Boston Public Library Lowell Lecture - John Jacobs

Mon, May 2, 2022

Life Is Good Co-Founder John Jacobs in conversation with Boston Public Library President David Leonard will instruct on the power of optimism, sharing how a Boston-based family business grew into a million-dollar lifestyle brand that changes lives through its charitable foundation and simple wisdom. An audience Q&A session will follow the discussion. When John and his brother Bert started the now $100 million company in 1994, they had $78 in their pockets, lived out of their van, and sold t-shirts on the streets of Boston. Was this their way of avoiding the “real world”? You betcha. Did it turn into something much bigger? Absolutely. It has been 25 years since they sold their first t-shirt, but John and Bert champion the same mission: to spread the power of optimism. On their journey, they’ve been inspired by a vibrant community of resilient optimists — people from all walks of life who identify deeply with the brand and who constantly demonstrate the depth and meaning behind the three simple words “Life is Good.”

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Boston Public Library Lowell Lecture - Angela E. Oh

Mon, Mar 21, 2022

A nationally recognized expert on race relations, Zen Buddhist priest, and high-profile attorney who served on President Clinton’s One America Initiative Advisory Board, Angela E. Oh in conversation with Boston Public Library President David Leonard will reveal how communities in crisis can turn tragedy into opportunities for healing. An audience Q&A session will follow the discussion. Angela E. Oh came to prominence in 1992 after the civil unrest that followed the acquittal of four Los Angeles police officers charged with the beating of Rodney King. As a second generation Korean American born in Los Angeles, trained as a criminal defense lawyer, active in civil rights and civil liberties organizing, Oh found that her experiences gave insight into the causes of what was recorded as the worst civil disaster of the century. In speaking out, her clarity about the political, economic, social, and institutional failures that contributed to the implosion of 1992 resonated with communities across the region. Over 2000 small family owned businesses owned by ethnic Koreans were destroyed and Oh challenged the mainstream media narrative that the crisis in Los Angeles was due to Korean and African American conflict.

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Boston Public Library Lowell Lecture - Dr. Christine Carter

Mon, Mar 7, 2022

Sociologist, author, and happiness expert, Dr. Carter in conversation with Boston Public Library President David Leonard will reveal how three surprising, science-based strategies can help us lead to our most joyful, productive, and meaningful lives. An audience Q&A session will follow the discussion. An engaging and sought-after speaker, Dr. Christine Carter loves to share her work. Combining scientific research and practical application, she offers audiences not only a way to cope with modern pressures, but tactics to truly thrive. Christine Carter, Ph.D., is author of The New Adolescence (2020), The Sweet Spot: How to Achieve More by Doing Less (2017) and Raising Happiness (2011). She regularly keynotes at large conferences and fundraisers and is a popular commencement speaker. She is a frequent contributor to executive, general-interest, and parenting programs with other leading scholars and teachers.

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Boston Public Library Lowell Lecture - Philonise Floyd

Wed, Feb 2, 2022

On May 26, 2020, Philonise O’Neil Floyd learned that four police officers in Minneapolis murdered his older brother after accusations from a store clerk George had passed a counterfeit $20 bill. The entire world saw now-convicted officer Derek Chauvin kneel on George Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. George Floyd’s death sparked a worldwide outpour of protests against police brutality, especially toward Black people.  Philonise Floyd’s life was changed forever. On June 10, 2020, the day after laying his brother to rest, he testified before United States Congress. He urged them to “do the right thing” by passing the [Justice in Police Act of 2020](https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/7120) baring choke holds, creating a registry to track officers with serious misconduct records, and lifting certain legal protections that make it difficult to prosecute officers for using excessive force. He vowed that his brother’s death would not be in vain or become another hashtag on a t-shirt and begun advocating to change systematic racism and the racist terror that has for over 400 years led to the harassment and killing of African Americans.

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The Power of Arts in Social Change

Thu, Jun 17, 2021

Hear from nationally recognized generative artists and thought leaders convened for this Boston Public Library Lowell Lecture by Boston’s Company One Theatre. The panel examines the cultural and political crises of the past fifteen pandemic months through the lens of the arts, broadly defined, and consider actions both large and small that may pave a path toward communal healing. Moderated by Company One’s Director of New Work Ilana Brownstein, the roundtable participants include San Francisco’s Director of Cultural Affairs, Ralph Remington; St Louis Rep’s Artistic Director, Hana S. Sharif; MacArthur-winning playwright Luis Alfaro; and journalist Diep Tran. RESOURCES Intrinsic Impact, developed by Wolf Brown, is rooted in the question: How are people transformed by cultural experiences and exposure to the arts? http://www.intrinsicimpact.org/ ArtsBoston's Arts Factor Reports: arts, culture, and creativity are economic engines for Boston, supporting local businesses, as well as directly contributing over $2 billion to our economy every year. https://artsboston.org/artsfactor-2019/ Who gets funded? https://twitter.com/AapacNyc/status/1... Who are the gatekeepers of the NYC theater industry? https://twitter.com/AapacNyc/status/1... Economic impact of racism on BIPOC actors: https://twitter.com/AapacNyc/status/1... The Asian American Performers Action Coalition (AAPAC NYC) is an advocacy organization dedicated to documenting and reporting on the lack of Asian Americans representation on large New York stages. Their newest report on the 2018-19 season goes live June 18, 2021, and can be found here: http://www.aapacnyc.org/ A major development of the past 15 months has been the emergence and impact of We See You White American Theatre (WSYWAT) — a movement; a manifesto; a set of demands to white arts institutions/practitioners. Initial manifesto: https://www.weseeyouwat.com/statement Tenets of the movement: https://www.weseeyouwat.com/about-1 List of demands: https://www.weseeyouwat.com/demands

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Boston Public Library
The Education Trap: Schools and the Remaking of Inequality in Boston

Wed, Jun 23, 2021

Although more people are earning degrees, the gap between rich and poor in America is widening. Historian Cristina Groeger delves into the history of this seeming contradiction, explaining how education came to be seen as a panacea even as it paved the way for deepening inequality. Groeger returns to the Gilded Age in Boston, a city that spent heavily on public schools. She examines how workplaces came to depend on an army of white-collar staff, largely women and second-generation immigrants, trained in secondary schools, and the negative consequences for many workers. _The Repairing America Initiative is the Boston Public Library's pledge to focus its 2021 programming and services on bridging the gaps that divide America. By prioritizing economic recovery, civic engagement, COVID-19 recovery, racial equity, workforce development, and youth engagement, the BPL is working to help Americans rise above the challenges they face._

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400 Years of Wampanoag History

Wed, Jun 9, 2021

The True Cost of Colonization: American History from an Indigenous Perspective Paula Peters is a scholar and a politically, socially, and culturally active member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. She’ll discuss the romanticized myth of the Pilgrims' arrival and the true cost of colonization from the perspective of the indigenous people. By exploring the history of contact prior to 1620 we can begin to understand the decisions that were made upon their arrival off the coast of Cape Cod and the transition from the village of Patuxet to the Plimoth colony. This talk is sponsored by the Baxter Fund and is part of the Repairing America Initiative at the Boston Public Library, a pledge to focus its 2021 programming and services on bridging the gaps that divide America. By prioritizing economic recovery, civic engagement, COVID-19 recovery, racial equity, workforce development, and youth engagement, the BPL is working to help Americans rise above the challenges they face.

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Indigenous Heritage

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Jo Napolitano on her book "The School I Deserve"

Mon, May 24, 2021

In a legal battle that mirrors that of the Little Rock Nine and Brown v. Board of Education, journalist Jo Napolitano tells the story of six brave refugee students in Pennsylvania who fought alongside the ACLU and Education Law Center to demand equal access to education. Napolitano delves into a landmark case in which the School District of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was sued for refusing to admit older, non-English speaking children such as Khadidja Issa, a refugee fleeing the horrific violence in war-torn Sudan, sending them to a high-discipline alternative school instead. Her new book, The School I Deserve, brings to light this crucial and underreported case, which paved the way to equal access to education for countless immigrants and refugees to come. Napolitano is joined by GBH News K-12 education reporter Megan Woolhouse, whose breaking news and features coverage has focused on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on school systems throughout Massachusetts.

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