See more pictures from the event.
What's Love Got to Do with It? was the theme of two events
the Library held on Friday, February 18 on reclaiming love in
our language, our history, our dancing, our work, and our lives.
The evening began with a dialogue for activists about the place of
love in social justice work with presentations by a diverse group
of discussion leaders, followed by small-group breakout sessions.
Discussion leaders included Johneric Concordia, chair of Kabataang maka-Bayan (KmB,
Pro-People Youth) USA, a comprehensive National Democratic Youth Organization;
Antonia Darder, currently Professor of Educational Policy Studies and Latino/a
Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Mark Gonzales, a
Mexican Muslim who is also a playwright, HBO Def Poet, and performance
lecturer; Eisha Mason, the Executive Director of the Center for the Advancement
of Nonviolence; The Reverend Altagracia Pιrez, founding member of the
Coalition for a Better Inglewood; and SKIM, a Korean American artist who is
involved in a Korean folk drumming/singing group, Assemblies in Motion.
The
dialogue was attended by about 40-50 activists from about two dozen
organizations and met with an enthusiastic response. The Library plans to follow
up with more social justice practice events.
Selected Readings
Aphrodite, Isabel Allende Prisoners Wife, Asha Bandele
Country Under My Skin, Gioconda Belli Loose Women, Sandra Cisneros
The Book of Embraces, Eduardo Galeano Love Poems, Nikki Giovanni
Teachings On Love, Thich Nhat Hanh All About Love, bell hooks
Sisters of the Yam, bell hooks Teaching Community, bell hooks
The Will to Change, bell hooks Strength to Love, Martin Luther King
Sister Outsider, Audre Lorde Loving in the War Years, Cherrie Moraga
Love, Toni Morrison Movement in Black, Pat Parker Chango's Fire,
Ernesto Quinonez Mastery of Love, Don Miguel Ruiz The Turkish Lover,
Esmeralda Santiago Anything We Love Can Be Saved, Alice Walker.
You can find many of these books at IMIX Bookstore, an
independent bookstore in Eagle Rock , California. IMIX is dedicated to
promoting literature that reflects a commitment to constructive social change
with an emphasis on writing from Latin America and communities of color in the
U.S. 5052 Eagle Rock Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 91114; 323-257-2512,
www.imixbooks.com.
Love Celebration
The dialogue was followed by a celebration, featuring
"A Few Words About Love": poetry with Peter J. Harris
and the Inspiration House PoetryChoir, with a
later performance by Kat Corrido and Alfie Debojo,
Balactasan Collective; as well as music to move the spirit by DJ Max.
Everyone also had the opportunity to treat themselves
to massage therapy, essential oils, and independent books from
IMIX Bookstore.
Download the event flyer or see the
press release.
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A Community Valentine's Celebration
It may be long before the law of love will be recognized...
The machineries of government stand between and hide the hearts
of one people from those of another. -Gandhi
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