Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
- Home
- Government
- Departments
- Library
- Antiracism Community Read
Antiracism Community Read
Community Read Concert & Kickoff!
Date: May 14th, 2022
Time: 1-3pm
Location: Dream Park, Monona
Join us for our kickoff event where we will begin handing out free copies of our Antiracism Community Read books (while supplies last)! We will host local Black & Indigenous speakers and musicians as our community comes together in a commitment to learning and change.
Monona Community Read
"Turning the Page Together" on Antiracism
What is a "Community Read"?
Community read programs have been conducted in cities and towns across the nation, encouraging citizens to collectively read, learn, and take action on community-based issues and global challenges. This fall, our library will be handing out free copies of the books, and we will also have plenty available for checkout.
Events
Starting May through Summer 2022, we will host educational programs with staff and local speakers! Stay tuned--in May, we will have a full listing of events on our calendar.
- Book Discussions for the Tween/Teen and Adult Books with action-oriented steps.
- "Turning the Page Together" Storytimes throughout the community that foster conversations about skin tone and race with children and their families.
- Events featuring Black and Indigenous speakers that cover topics related to antiracism and history in our area.
What is Antiracism?
Wisconsin is the most segregated state in the nation in regards to income inequality, housing, incarceration rates, and education, and Monona and Madison are certainly no exception. A history of redlining and segregation, racism, and exclusion continues to affect Black, Indigenous, and other populations of color in our community. Antiracism is a practice that can help uproot our own personal biases and also push for societal and systemic change in our city.
The National Museum of African American History & Culture defines antiracism as the following:
"No one is born racist or antiracist; these result form the choices we make. Being antiracist results from a conscious decision to make frequent, consistent, equitable choices daily. These choices require ongoing self-awareness and self-reflection as we move through life. in the absence of making antiracist choices, we (un)consciously uphold aspects of white supremacy, white-dominated culture, and unequal institutions and society. Being racist or antiracist is not about who you are; it is about what you do."
Why an "all ages" approach?
The work of antiracism is continuous and generational. To be an antiracist community with lasting change, we must all come together and start these conversations no matter our age. Research has demonstrated that children as young as 2 will use race to reason about people's behaviors. It's never too early to talk about skin tone and race.
Antiracism takes a village: no matter your age, holding conversations with family members, neighbors, friends, city officials, and youth in your life is one action piece that pushes towards an antiracist community. That is our goal with the community read!