Hingham Public Library: 'People Are Thinking About George Floyd'

In an effort to address the recent death of George Floyd and discuss race relations throughout the country, Hingham Public Library recently issued the following statement:

To our library family,

What we know to be true is that, within the library, a sense of community brings people together, and when people come together, conversations begin. These past few months, we’ve been deprived of the physical connection the library provides, and at a time when we need that sense of community the most.

People all around the world are thinking about the death of George Floyd, and the countless other men and women of color who’ve been killed in the past few months and years. The conversations we need to have with others - and with ourselves - are not easy, or comfortable, but they are necessary to process and understand the systemic nature of racism that pervades our country, whether we feel it affects us individually or not.

Our library has always been a resource for education and enlightenment, and while we are still operating in a virtual capacity, we’d like to help start these conversations with this list of well-regarded and widely recommended books on racism and anti-racism; the latter term is crucial to understanding the changes that need to be made in our society, as it represents an active response to racist actions, words, and thoughts.

An easy first step is to simply read one of the suggested books, and try to fully understand the issues before us. These are unique and challenging times for us all, but if we continue to foster and expand that sense of community we cherish, we can bring about the change we truly need.

Peter Thornell

Collection Development Librarian

Hingham Public Library

781-741-1405 x2610

Learn and Grow: Books about racism and anti-racism