Come on over and play with us Saturday April 1, from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Parents, grandparents, caregivers, and their little ones (infants through kindergarten) are invited to discover some of the many ways children learn though play. We will have plenty of examples of homemade learning toys to play with as well as some fun make-and-take projects so you can continue the fun at home. 

The North Shore Health Department, REDgen, and the North Shore Fire Department will be on hand with fun activities and resources for caregivers. The Fire Department will also offer non-certified infant/child CPR training for adults.

I am white. And it wasn't until recently that I realized that my whiteness made buying my home easier. Due to historical and current practices, searching for my home, obtaining my mortgage and moving in to the neighborhood where I wanted to live were all aided by the color of my skin.

 

My deep dive for more knowledge on race and housing started when my book club read Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. The author Matthew Desmond spent years researching housing practices and poverty in Milwaukee which are intrinsically tied to race and segregation. The emotions and tone of the discussions in that book club ranged from anger, helplessness, guilt and ignorance. And we all felt ill equipped to really discuss race intelligently.  

 

It's clear to me that we need to have opportunities to learn more about race and to spend time talking in small and large groups about the many ways racism pervades our lives regardless of the color of our skin. And the public library, an institution dedicated to life-long learning, is a perfect setting for some of these opportunities. Please join us on April 5th at 6:30 p.m. for just such an opportunitywith Reggie Jackson, Head Griot of America's Black Holocaust Museum (details below).