SOUTH DEERFIELD — Tilton Library, in collaboration with the Deerfield Inclusion Group, will have local people of color share their stories during a virtual conversation about racism on Wednesday.
The event, “Conversation About Racism: Staying Curious, Moving Forward and Being Part of the Solution,” will feature three Black residents of Greenfield — Gloria Matlock, Jeanne Hall and Richard Hall — who will discuss their experiences as people of color in Franklin County.
“As much as people respond to books or movies or documentaries, I think hearing personal stories directly from people’s experiences is probably the most powerful,” said Tilton Library Director Candace Bradbury-Carlin. “I also think it could end up launching a deeper curiosity and support.”
The conversation, set to start at 6:30 p.m., will be moderated by Allen Davis, a resident of Dublin, New Hampshire, who previously spent many years living in Franklin County and is involved in local social justice groups such as Racial Justice Rising.
“I believe that racism informs just about every issue in American society, whether it’s education, whether it’s housing, whether it’s health, whether it’s wealth,” Davis said. “Underlying all of those issues is the … 400-year history of slavery and everything that has followed.”
Davis said he hopes the conversation allows people to gain a better understanding of what it can be like to be Black in Franklin County, and in general, the United States.
“My other hope, in addition to the education component, is that people will be inspired to take some action to move us forward as a country toward racial equity on all levels and all realms of society,” he said.
Bradbury-Carlin said the program is organized in acknowledgment of community interest and engagement on the subject. And the mission of any library, not just Tilton, she added, is to promote inclusivity and to be a welcoming institution.
“We want to project that we promote inclusivity and diversity, and I think the last year there’s been a lot more work going deeper with that work in the library world,” she said.
Recently, Tilton Library also made books available for a virtual book discussion on “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You.” The program was held remotely on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and was co-sponsored by the Sunderland Human Rights Working Group and the Deerfield Inclusion Group.
Both Davis and Bradbury-Carlin said Wednesday’s conversation will be a learning experience for all involved.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Davis said. “I’m a great example of it — of learning more about my whiteness and also about my white privilege.”
Bradbury-Carlin added that these discussions are part of an “ongoing process.”
“It’s just an opportunity for us all to understand each other and support each other, and be advocates for each other,” she said. “This program is a particularly good opportunity to help that along.”
To join the conversation, Bradbury-Carlin said people must request a Zoom link in advance by emailing tiltonlibrary@cwmars.org.