RUAR Opens Little Free Antiracist Library at the Rainbow Community Center
On April 20th, Rise Up Against Racism opened its thirteenth Little Free Antiracist Library. This very special Library, funded by John Muir Health, will be housed in the Audre Lorde Reading Room of the Rainbow Community Center. The Library is filled with selections that center on younger readers and includes many books that celebrate LGBTQIA+ people, their valuable contributions, and unique lived experiences.
We are proud to partner with John Muir Health and the Rainbow Community Center in opening this special Library. Jamie Elmasu, John Muir Health’s Director of Community Health Improvement, was present and provided uplifting remarks at the ribbon cutting. Friends, supporters, clinicians, staff members, and funders of the Rainbow Community Center joined the festivities and shared reflections, presented the Land Acknowledgement, prepared delicious baked goods, and created beautiful bookmarks.
The commissioned artist of the Rainbow Community Center Little Free Antiracist Library is Kadeth Pozzesi. Kadeth (he/him/Sir) is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, based in Contra Costa County, who also works as a Clinician at Rainbow. A longtime artist, Kadeth created a beautiful and whimsical Library that includes several cats. In his remarks about the work, Kadeth shared that cats engage with beings regardless of identity and do not discriminate–important reminders for us all.
This is Rise Up Against Racism’s first Little Free Antiracist Library to be opened in an indoor space at a community-serving organization. We are excited about the many different venue opportunities for our Libraries, and hope that the Library at Rainbow helps to create opportunities for visibility, connection, affirmation, and joy!