Community Read 2019 is over – but the conversations and relationships it sparked continue. And that was the point.

Throughout March, our community came together around books. This year’s featured titles, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, Wishtree by Katherine Applegate, and Love by Matt de la Peña provided readers of all ages opportunities to discuss important themes of compassion, perspective and understanding.

With the support of presenting sponsor Bank of America and additional funding from Foundation For The Carolinas and your Library Foundation, over 2,500 copies of The Hate U Give were distributed throughout the community. More than 200 programs and events were offered at Library and partner locations - including book talks, film viewings and talkback panels, tree plantings, art projects, discussions with police, city and county officials, teenagers, educators, and much more.

Partners were key to the success of this year’s Community Read. Program director Meryle Leonard explains, “We knew we’d need to work with partners with different perspectives, experiences and expertise. This was a natural opportunity to position the Library system as a facilitator and resource for community programs and dialogue - to become a resource for organizations and individuals who want to have these important and sometimes uncomfortable conversations. We especially wanted to engage the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Their support and participation was essential to the programs reach and success.”

What are people saying about Community Read?

Thank you for all the work you have done with the Community Read program. The program was very successful at Johnson C. Smith University. It was good to have the community in collaboration with JCSU's students, faculty and staff engage in this conversation. I extend appreciation to Toussaint Romain for his outstanding and passionate   presentation that left all of us thinking about how we can do more in our communities.

- Monika Rhue (Nooma), HBCU Library Alliance Board Chair, Director of Library Services and Curation, James B. Duke Memorial Library, Johnson C. Smith University

Thank you. The event last night at JCSU was s blast. Full house too. 

- Toussaint Romain

Many thanks to CMPD and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library for allowing the Mayor’s Mentoring Alliance to join this community conversation. There were many familiar faces in the audience as we had a good deal of mentoring agency representatives attend. Hopefully, we laid the foundation for more of these types of conversations to take place! Glad to work with each of you! 

- Tiffany Johnson, Mayor's Mentoring Alliance & Out Of School Time Specialist

Thank you for inviting CPCC to be a part of the event last night.  It was a phenomenal  program.  My mentoring group would also like to thank CML for bringing this author and treating them with honor.  We read the book earlier this year as a group, so they could connect the dots.  Also allowing them to be seated before everyone else made them feel very special.  Thanks to everyone on your team who worked tireless to make this event a success.

- Gloria Kelley, Dean of Library Services, Central Piedmont Community College

Overheard:

“It is nice to know my thinking is similar to other citizens in the community.”

“Ability to have open and honest dialogue.”

“I learned how to improve my thinking and improve my community.”

“Hearing different perspectives form a diverse group of people.”

Highlights

There were many highlights to this year’s Community Read, including inspirational visits from authors Angie Thomas and Matt de la Peña. Both discussed writing as a form of activism – an opportunity to encourage empathy and start discussion.

Just like Community Read 2019.

Angie Thomas Recap

Matt de la Peña Recap

Did you participate in Community Read 2019?

Take our survey!

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

Presented by Bank of America with additional support from Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation and Foundation For The Carolinas

THANKS TO OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS:

Carolina Youth Coalition • Central Piedmont Community College •  Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community Relations • Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department • Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools • Community Building Initiative • Communities In Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Inc. • Fort Mill School District • Girl Talk Foundation • Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture • International House • James B. Duke Memorial Library at Johnson C. Smith University • Levine Museum of the New South • Mayor’s Mentoring Alliance • Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office-Library Services • ourBRIDGE • Pass the Peace Feasts • PBS Charlotte • The Possibility Project-Charlotte • Stan Greenspon Center for Peace and Social Justice • Swanky Pen • Teen Health Connection • Time Out Youth • Trinity Episcopal School • Union County Public Schools • UNC Charlotte Department of Theatre • WBAV-FM • YMCA of Greater Charlotte

Thank you to all of you who so generously donated to the 2019 9 Books for Kids book drive and made this year another success!  UPDATE: Because of you, the Library collected more than 11,200 books this year! Thank YOU!

Donating books is an easy way to have a huge impact on students and their learning experience. You are helping improve student learning and achieving by the simple act of donating new and gently used children’s and teen books.

Volunteers are now sorting and counting the books so we can distribute them into our community. These donations help increase the number of books in the homes of children through the Library's outreach efforts like the Community Bookshelf program, Summer Break Book Bucks, Little Free Libraries and partnerships with Read Charlotte and Promising Pages. 

Again, THANK YOU for your donations to the 9 Books for Kids book drive!

To celebrate National Poetry Month, Library staff member Pam Turner came up with the idea to do a poet-in-residence program at Main Library. Her original concept was to have two poets spend an hour a day at an unused public service desk and write poetry on-demand for anyone who asked.

The Poet is IN @ Main has grown from Turner’s original concept. Instead of having only two poets available for an hour each day, a group of poets and Library staff members occupy the desk from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., during the month of April, to write poems for anyone who stops by with a prompt. The poets sit behind the desk, equipped with typewriters and personalized stationery, ready to deliver poems for those who seek them.

One poem recipient was Library staff member Jenna Marrotta. On April 2, 2019, she came to visit the poets and scribbled a prompt down for her poet to use as inspiration. “I wrote that I have a son recently diagnosed with Autism and that I would like to have a poem that helped express my love for my son, but also describes how completely different our life has become after receiving this diagnosis,” Marrotta said.

She worried that her prompt might be too specific for anyone to be able to compose a poem. However, Marrotta received the following:

Hey mommy

It’s me

your special little boy

and i wanted you to know

it was nt always perfect

but your love helped me grow

Weve always had problems trying to comprehend

They way to love each other

in a way we both understand

you always wanted me to look you in your eyes

but you never realized how much I loved your lullabyes

You always thought I neede special tending

I always felt your ability to worry was never ending

But I want to thank you

We were never tv ready

Life was always hectic

and i didn’t always do as i directed

But i never told you

So i don’t think you know

How much of me I got from you

How I cherished all the things we’d do

even when you though i wasn’t paying attention

Icouldnt tell you then, because i didn’t have the words

You hadnt yet taught me how to navigate this absurd

crazy world

But it was you who showed me, all the things i could do

Like Reading, and cooking and video games

i mean you were the one you taught me how to write my name

and maybe our relationship was never the same

As the ones we saw on tv

But i promis you

the reality

was so much more we

So much more me

So much so that i couldn’t possibly

wishfor any other

I’ve only made it this far …

Because of my mother

Her poet signed the poem “From a man on the spectrum for a mother he never knew.” Marrotta was immediately brought to tears. Her poet happened to be on the spectrum himself. She felt his poem shared his own voice, but also captured the voice of her son who is not yet able to communicate his thoughts. Also, in another coincidence, April 2  happened to be World Autism Day.

She stated, “This is a poem I will cherish forever and it was particularly meaningful to me, especially today.” 

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is proud to be a part of  Charlotte SHOUT! to celebrate art, music, food and ideas in Uptown April 29 – May 11. Visit cltshout.com for more information and event listings.

Running May 9 – 11, 2019, About Face Charlotte will create a large scale, multimedia, multicultural, interactive installation, incorporating visual arts and technology. The installation, The Future is Now!, will wrap the exterior of  Charlotte Mecklenburg Library's Main Library in very large portraits of our youth and give the opportunity to hear their voices, creating a community sensory experience that will inspire viewers with a vision for the next 250 years in the Queen City. About Face Charlotte is partnering with internationally-known artist, JR and his global InsideOut Project, to print the large scale photographs.

If you're seeking more information on the history of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and North Carolina, the best resource is the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room at Main Library. There you can work with our specialized staff for historical and genealogical information, maybe review all past issues of The Observer, or even look up the previous owners for your home. Click here for information.

SHOUT! is distinguished this year as the grand finale of CLT250, the celebration of Charlotte’s 250^th anniversary.

Anyone looking for new mysteries this spring can find good options in the Library catalog. This includes the next title in the long-running, private-detective Ali Reynolds series and the last book of the Inspector Tao Yun Shan novels. Here are those titles and a few others to consider:

The A List: An Ali Reynolds Mystery

Writer Judith A. Janice jumps back into Ali Reynold’s previous career as a television news anchor for the latest story in this long-running series. Today, private investigator and cybersecurity company owner, Reynolds lives and works in Sedona, Arizona, where she’s recently married and owns a new house. Ten years ago, though, she worked in Los Angeles where her last news story led to the arrest and imprisonment of a prominent doctor for medical malpractice and, ultimately, a murder charge. That imprisoned doctor still harbors a vengeful anger against those viewed responsible for his fate. He even has a tattooed list of the initials of his enemies to cross off his self-styled Annihilation List. And, as expected, Reynolds’s initials are on the list.  This novel is 14 in  in the series and available in regular, large print, eBook and audiobook formats.       

Bloody January 

It’s 1973 and Glasgow, Scotland is a noir-infused backdrop for the investigations of Detective Harry McCoy into a seemingly quick case. Tipped about a planned killing of a young woman, which occurs the next day by a young man who shoots her in public and then shoots himself, the events appear to be only a sad tragedy. McCoy is convinced otherwise and travels deep into the city’s criminal underworld for answers. Accompanied by a new partner, Watson, through his probes, McCoy believes he is on the right track. His investigation leads to the super-rich Dunlop family with ties to a secret society steeped in criminal activity. However, the investigation stalls as McCoy tries to make his case stick, but he is not deterred. Bloody January is the first of the Harry McCoy series by Alan Parks. The second book is February’s Son. Both titles are available in regular print and e-book formats.     

Bones of the Earth

Inspector Shan Tao Yun, a one-time Beijing, China, law officer who is now exiled to Tibet, continues his law enforcement in his new rural home. Requested to view the execution of a Tibetan for corruption, Shan later suspects the government's actions were not genuine as he’s discovers the deaths of others hidden by the execution. The apparent murders include other Tibetans and an American archaeology student working to protect an ancient shire. Moreover, Shan’s mission is elevated as he accepts the assistance of the American’s angry father to find the truth. All the while, Shan is conflicted by the government, justice and helping his citizens. This novel is the 10th and final of the series. The Library system has eight books in the series by writer Eliot Pattison. 

Murder with Collard Greens and Hot Sauce

Mahalia's Sweet Tea is extra busy serving meals during a huge hair convention in Prince George's County, Maryland. Restaurant manager Halia Watkins has as much work as she can handle when a famous beauty mogul, Monique Depree, arrives and creates an additional buzz in the community. The result is shocking as Depree is shot dead and the death uncovers relationships filled with strife. Enter Watkins and her cousin, Wavonne, to serve as amateur sleuths. Murder with Collard Greens and Hot Sauce is the third of the Mahalia Watkins Soul Food Mystery series by writer A. L. Herbert. The Library offers all three novels.  

Something Read Something Dead: A Lighthouse Library Mystery

Who would tamper with gluten-free treats and kill during a bridal shower? Lucy Richardson, cousin to bride-to-be Josie, oversees the shower to help ease family tension over the coming days. It appears the bride's modest wedding plans are in jeopardy by certain family members. The peace-treaty attempts in the bridal shower fail miserably as a cousin dies and Josie is under police suspicion. Under these circumstances, Lucy, as an amateur sleuth, helps her cousin, to find the killer. Writer Eva Gates has five books in this mystery series and Something Read Something Dead is the latest. The Library has four of the five books set in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  

On April 22, 2019, Librarian, Dr. Tom Cole, Archivist, Sydney Vaile, Librarian, Shelia Bumgarner and Assistant, Meghan Bowden of the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room celebrated National Preservation Week by conducting an inventory of all of the items in the historic Dowd House on behalf of Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation.

This is the last remaining structure associated with Camp Greene, a World War I training camp that was located in Charlotte from 1917-1919. In return, the department received hundreds of personal artifacts of soldiers stationed at Camp Greene, including medals, pay books, equipment and helmets The department also received 85 photographs. These items will become part of the archives.

The department has the largest collection of Camp Greene memorabilia and photographs in the country.

(Already read Part II? Jump ahead to Part III.)

NOTE: This post is part two in a four-part series that explores the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. Click here to read part one.

Eleven days after the adoption of the Mecklenburg Declaration, another document emerged called the Mecklenburg Resolves. The Mecklenburg Resolves, created by the Mecklenburg County Committee of Safety on or after May 20, 1775, was adopted by that same committee on May 31, 1775.

This document adopted a set of radical resolutions that fell short of an actual declaration of independence. The Resolves proclaimed that "all Laws...derived from the Authority of the King or Parliament, are annulled and vacated," and that the Provincial government "under the Great Continental Congress is invested with all legislative and executive Powers...and that no other Legislative or Executive does or can exist, at this Time, in any of these Colonies." The Resolves further suspended the actions of the royal military and civil officials, called for the other colonies to govern themselves through provincial congresses and arrest royal officials who continued their political duties in North Carolina. Following the Mecklenburg Resolves, similar lists were published by other North Carolina counties.

Newspapers published in 1775 document the Resolves. The text of the Resolves was lost after the American Revolution and not rediscovered until 1838.

Enjoying reading about the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence? Stay posted for installment three of this four-part series which leads up to Meck Dec Day on May 20. Expect the next installment in this series on Friday, May 17.

(Already read Part II? Jump ahead to Part IV.)

NOTE: This post is part three in a four-part series that explores the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence.  Don’t forget to read parts one and two. 

Either these resolutions are a plagiarism from Mr. Jefferson's Declaration of Independence, or Mr. Jefferson's Declaration of Independence is a plagiarism from those resolutions.

—John Adams, August 21, 1819

The Mecklenburg Declaration and the Declaration of Independence had several similar phrases, including "dissolve the political bands which have connected," "absolve ourselves from all allegiance to the British Crown," "are, and of right ought to be" and "pledge to each other, our mutual cooperation, our lives, our fortunes, and our most sacred honor."

Did Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the American Declaration of Independence, use the Mecklenburg Declaration as a source? Had he seen the Mecklenburg Declaration? Was the language used in both documents common for the day?

Former President Thomas Jefferson, principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence, suspected that the Mecklenburg Declaration was a hoax. John Adams agreed with Jefferson. When Adams read Dr. Alexander's 1819 article in a Massachusetts newspaper, he was astonished because he had never previously heard of the Mecklenburg Declaration. He immediately assumed, as he wrote a friend, that Jefferson had "copied the spirit, the sense, and the expressions of it verbatim into his Declaration of the 4th of July 1776." Adams had played a role in getting the Continental Congress to declare independence in 1776 and was, therefore, somewhat resentful that Jefferson received most of the praise. Adams sent a copy of the article to get Jefferson’s reaction.

Jefferson replied that, like Adams, he had never heard of the Mecklenburg Declaration before. Jefferson found it curious that historians of the American Revolution, even those from North Carolina and nearby Virginia, had never previously mentioned it. He also found it suspicious that the original was lost in a fire and that most of the eyewitnesses were now dead. Jefferson wrote that while he could not claim for certain that the Mecklenburg Declaration was a fabrication, "I shall believe it such until positive and solemn proof of its authenticity shall be produced."

Jefferson's argument, Adams wrote in reply, "has entirely convinced me that the Mecklenburg [sic] Resolutions are a fiction.” Thus began centuries of controversy.

North Carolina Senator Nathaniel Macon collected eyewitness testimony to the events described in the article. The then elderly witnesses did not agree with every detail, but they generally corroborated the story that a declaration of independence had been publicly read in Charlotte, although they were not all certain about the date. Perhaps most importantly, 88-year-old Captain James Jack was still alive and was able to confirm that he delivered a declaration of independence to the Continental Congress that had been adopted in May 1775.

Enjoying reading about the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence? Stay posted for installment three of this four-part series which leads up to Meck Dec Day on May 20. Expect the next installment in this series on Monday, May 20.