[Kip Currier: OlaRonke Akinmowo, creator of Brooklyn, New York's Free Black Women’s Library, personifies courage, fortitude, and determination.
[Excerpt]
"Public libraries are under intense pressure with their funding threatened and their books facing increased scrutiny, leaving independent libraries as one of the last safe spaces for people to access books free from political pressure.
The Free Black Women’s Library, a community and grassroots-funded library in Brooklyn, New York, has found a way to keep moving forward amid widespread cutbacks.
“They call it a third space. It's not a space where you work. It's not a space for you to shop. It's a space that doesn't involve spending money. It's a space where you get to be in community, where you can interact with your peers, where you get to experience conversation and creativity and fun,” OlaRonke Akinmowo, creator of the Free Black Women’s Library, told Scripps News.
She added, "This space is different from a standard library because all the books are written by black women and black non-binary authors."
Akinmowo launched the library in 2015 with 100 books and a mission to showcase “the brilliant creativity and diversity of black women writers.”
The library’s collection has grown to more than 5,000 books, written by Black women and Black nonbinary authors, often featuring books that are being banned across the country.
“In this moment, I'm very much invested in making sure that people have access to all the so-called banned books,” Akinmowo said, while pointing out banned books sitting on shelves around the library. “There's tons of books in here that you won't see or find anywhere else.”
“They're trying to say that these books are a problem — are propaganda that needs to be erased, needs to be removed, needs to be set on fire,” she continued. “Not on my watch. I'm not going for that.”"
