 July-August 2000 American Friends Service Committee Peacework Magazine Patrica Watson, Editor Sara Burke, Assistant Editor Pat Farren, Founding Editor 2161 Massachusetts Ave. Telephone number: Fax number:
pwork@igc.org Peacework has been published monthly since 1972, intended to serve as a source of dependable information to those who strive for peace and justice and are committed to furthering the nonviolent social change necessary to achieve them. Rooted in Quaker values and informed by AFSC experience and initiatives, Peacework offers a forum for organizers, fostering coalition-building and teaching the methods and strategies that work in the global and local community. Peacework seeks to serve as an incubator for social transformation, introducing a younger generation to a deeper analysis of problems and issues, reminding and re-inspiring long-term activists, encouraging the generations to listen to each other, and creating space for the voices of the disenfranchised. Views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of the AFSC. |
RECENT NONFICTION
Finding the Light: the Library at Community Change What if there was a sanctuary for activists -- a place where people could gather to learn, organize, debate and recharge; a resource center for those pursuing racial justice and equality? Community Change, Inc. (CCI), in downtown Boston, provides just such an idyllic spot. The Yvonne Pappenheim Library on Racism, located in the CCI office on Beacon Street, has been a rapidly growing resource for activists in the greater Boston area for over thirty years.
In 1970, Community Change was barely beginning; the library was a mere 10 books, all on issues of race, racism, and the pursuit of racial justice. When it became clear that people cherished such a specialized collection, the initial few seeds blossomed. Donations of books, supplies, and money through the years have resulted in a library boasting some 2000 books, 200 videos, as well as countless journals, articles, children's books, and more. Yvonne Pappenheim, a principal volunteer whose unwavering ability over the years to acquire books from publishers keeps the collection current and thorough, has been invaluable in the growth of the library. If it's a James Baldwin novel you're looking for, a video of that Primetime piece on institutional racism, photo essays of the Little Rock Nine, a videotape of Native Americans discussing Columbus, back issues of the Chronicle of Blacks in Higher Education, or last month's Peacework, CCI has the library for you. Books and videos can be borrowed free of charge (in person only) and the entire catalog is available for searching on-line www.communitychangeinc.org or on the computer at CCI. But just as important as the textual resources at the CCI library are the spiritual resources. Poet and playwright Gail Burton, who is CCI's librarian and, along with Yvonne, the resident expert on the library, describes the library as "a place of replenishment and change" where people find "invaluable human resources of memory, affirmation, and soul." Others have referred to the library as "an oasis" and "a light under a bushel." Michael Foot said, "Men of power have no time
to read; yet the men who do not read are unfit for power."
Consider, then, the Yvonne Pappenheim Library on Racism a place
for when you need the time to read, recharge, reorient yourself,
and continue the work, as well as simply a welcome place to read
over lunch. The library is open Tuesday and Thursday afternoons
and nearly any other time by calling first (617/523-0555). If you
are interested in volunteering time or resources, please feel free
to call; all are welcome. Jeffrey Calareso is a summer Civil Rights
Intern at Community Change, Inc. He will begin his senior year at
Colby College in this fall. |
|
|