Bridging Divides
Reimagining the public library
Some of my fondest memories growing up involve public libraries. As an introverted, highly sensitive child, libraries were the few places that felt safe. The librarians were always extremely nice and I could always find a few new comic books, and the best encyclopedias. One of my favorite books to read was a set of children’s novels called Encyclopedia Brown which featured the adventures of a boy detective named Leroy Brown. I loved to sit in the library, read those novels, and then try write my own version of the story with me as the main character.
The library, for me and so many others, was a home away from home. It provided opportunities to learn new things, explore new concepts, and meet new people.
Libraries and our other public spaces — parks, community centers, and riverfronts — play crucial roles in our communities, one of the most important providing spaces for shared interactions to occur among people from various backgrounds. This is a critical role in that the way we communicate with each other, our understanding of each other, our discourse with one another, and the way we feel about each other can all be affected by the interactions we have through shared experiences. In our quest to build a more inclusive world, we must work to ensure that these interactions can occur. We must work to create spaces where everyone feels welcomed, where an invite is always extended, and where interaction among people from all walks of life can happen.
Defining Moments
There are some moments in life that you never forget, that define you. For me, one of those moments came in the form of a conversation in the spring of 2019 with a woman named Grace.
As a young adult, Grace made a life-altering visit with her friends and classmates to a library in Memphis in March 1960. Accounts from librarians and patrons who were present at the time Grace and her friends arrived, observed that the students were not loud or boisterous. In fact, quite the opposite, recalled one patron. But shortly after they entered the branch, librarians advised them of the rules regarding segregation and asked them to leave. When the students refused to leave the library, police were called and within a matter of minutes, arrested all of the students. They were charged with disorderly conduct, loitering, and breach of peace. These charges were serious enough that the students were forced to spend hours in jail until they were able to post bond.
When asked why they called the police, the librarians admitted that, “the reason they had the students arrested was not because they were rowdy or rude, rather because they were Negroes.”
This was a pivotal moment in Memphis history as the incident ultimately helped lead to the desegregation of the library system in the state.
I am in awe of this story because almost 60 years later, not only was I able to sit down with Grace, but also with many other individuals who are part of that story. Their efforts were for equal access. Their efforts were for equity. As a Black man who now manages that very branch — Cossitt Library — it’s been extremely humbling to reflect on those stories.
From Books to Bridges
“Books” are one of the many words people associate with a library. They serve many functions; capturing history, telling stories, and enabling us to imagine new worlds — just to name a few. While books are important, I believe there is another word that must become synonymous with libraries — “bridge.”
In Memphis we have two bridges that allow us to cross the mighty Mississippi River and make it to the state of Arkansas. One of those bridges is the Harahan Bridge which carries a pedestrian corridor known as Big River Crossing; an initiative to connect Main Streets in Memphis, Tennessee to Main Streets in West Memphis, Arkansas. Thousands of people have used that bridge by foot, bike, and scooters to explore places they might have never gone before. And that’s exactly what bridges are supposed to do. They are designed to help you go to new places, see new things, and cross obstacles that would otherwise be challenging to navigate.
I believe the public library and our civic commons are bridges our society needs. Done well, they can invite interaction and engagement from a variety of citizens and provide a common ground for people to enjoy shared experiences and participate in public life. In the process of designing, funding, managing, and maintaining these spaces, it is crucial that we work in an equitable and just way.
Through an Equity Lens
Libraries are trusted, enduring institutions, central to their communities and as such, they should play an essential role in the movement for racial and social equity. This is the case for Cossitt Library, and Memphis Public Libraries (MPL) as a whole. At the time of this writing, and in the midst of this moment of greater national engagement with social justice, MPL is actively considering the ways in which we engage, reflect, and uplift our community. We hope to design a process by which community members and various stakeholders can generate ideas through active collaboration and critical exchanges, creating a library that speaks to the rich history and culture of our city.
The work is wide and deep. It requires us to diligently work to both build on existing frameworks, as well as create new frameworks that place equity at the center of our work; ensuring that our policies and programs guide us in a direction that enables us to serve everyone in our community.
The Reimagining of a Historic Library
Located on the beautiful Memphis riverfront downtown, the reimagined Cossitt library is being designed to adapt to the ever- changing needs of the community, while continuing to provide critical library services.
One of 18 branches in the Memphis Public Library system, with Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library serving as the main branch, Cossitt Library is being reimagined to serve as not only a neighborhood branch for the downtown core, but also as a destination for all to enjoy. The space is being built to accommodate all of the various needs the community might have; creating an open landscape for social engagements, workshops, presentations, and artful installations.
Renovation efforts are currently underway and are set to be complete later this year. From the beginning, a diverse group of stakeholders worked to ensure this project would be reflective of the city. The project was designed to encourage minority-owned business participation (MBE) and women-owned business participation (WBE) which led to a competitive bidding process. The project was ultimately awarded to Nickson General Contractors — a first generation MBE, and one of the fastest-growing construction companies in the Mid-South.
Through community engagement and collaboration, careful thought is also being given to the collection of books that will be available onsite, starting with the addition of specially curated selection of books on African American history. A newly created endeavor will capture and highlight the stories of everyday Memphians from historic Black neighborhoods such as Orange Mound and Douglas communities. A suite of robust programming with national partners such as Citizen University, Citizen Film, and others will kick off the grand reopening of Cossitt, and will seek to position the library as a convener and facilitator of conversations to address community challenges.
Locally, Cossitt is partnering with Memphis-based organizations such as ArtUp and their 2020 North Memphis Incubator, pairing budding creative entrepreneurs with library resources to help them develop their ideas into viable, sustainable businesses. In an effort to cultivate a new generation of stewards for the Cossitt branch, we’ve created new approaches to building a robust friend group that is representative of the community. To get the word out about all of these things, we partnered with five rising Black PR/marketing professionals to further give shape to this work.
A Beacon of Light
We’re building something special in downtown Memphis. We’re building a space that will provide opportunities for people from all walks of life to learn, connect, and share with others. And we’re working to do it in the most equitable way possible. Combined with a set of recently completed projects along the riverfront, Cossitt will play an integral role in a set of connected assets known as The Fourth Bluff, and help influence future projects in Memphis. The end result, we believe, will be a library that is a beacon of light for our city.
Reimagining the Civic Commons is a collaboration of The JPB Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, William Penn Foundation, and local partners.
