Libraries are building community through identity and cultural change

Disrupted

Many people think of libraries as quiet places to study, work or read a book. But the quiet rooms of libraries have also been centers of social change. This hour, we look at how libraries help people build community and explore their identities. First, we talk about a recent drag story hour in Enfield, CT that was successfully rescheduled after it had initially been canceled due to safety concerns. Then, we discuss a pioneering librarian who helped start New York's well-known Morgan Library & Museum while keeping her racial identity a secret.

GUESTS:

• Lil Miss Hot Mess: Board member with Drag Story Hour, a nonprofit that organizes events where drag performers read to kids. She is also a University Professor and children’s author whose books include 'The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish'

• The Reverend Dr. Greg Gray: President of Enfield Pride and Pastor of Enfield United Church of Christ

• Erica Ciallela: Exhibition Project Curator at the Morgan Library

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