A Brief History of Police Brutality: A Workshop by Linda Wiggins-Chavis

This summer Bethlehem Area Public Library (BAPL) hosted a variety of anti-racist educational programing to bring depth and specificity to Bethlehem’s conversations about race and anti-racism. One such program was a series of workshops on theories and histories of race and racial justice, facilitated by teacher, activist, and writer, Linda Wiggins-Chavis. Though the workshops are…

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“Ebony’s Flaws:” A Poem by Corey Riotz

Ebony’s Flaws: Spoken-word Performance Lyrics: See black is beautiful, I’d never change my color for another  But sometimes I feel like I can’t trust the others or my brothers  so it’s hard for me to stand here screaming black lives matter When genocide became  a cycle since that crack pipe shattered  And it’s so hard to…

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A Bethlehem Moment: June 22, 1969

Written by: Mary Foltz, Lehigh UniversitySusan Falciani Maldonado, Muhlenberg CollegeKristen Leipert, Muhlenberg College In this moment in Bethlehem history, Le-Hi-Ho, the first organized group for gays in the Lehigh Valley, held its first meeting As the Lehigh Valley concludes the celebration of Pride month and Allentown’s Pride Festival in August, the Lehigh Valley LGBT Community…

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“Refuse Fascism”: A Poem by LindoYes!

“Refuse Fascism” Spoken Word Performance “Refuse Fascism” Lyrics They want to cut family ties, that have been knotted since history, With more stories than the tallest building, Small, but we are building! Brick by brick, from the wall they use to oppress us, to impress upon them! We will… Refuse Fascism Resist Hatred  Right wrongs…

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New Bethany Ministries Takes on Covid-19

Like most organizations faced with the Covid-19 pandemic, New Bethany Ministries had to address the challenges of restructuring their day-to-day operations. However, because of the nature of their work, New Bethany also faced added pressure from the increasing need demonstrated by the community members that they serve. In this interview with J. Marc Rittle, the…

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“The American Dream:” A Poem by Milo Wilson

“The American Dream” I woke up today in the dark…  Where other people’s words were clouding my judgement…  Where every mirror was either blacked out or shattered…  To them my wounds don’t matter as long as they can keep their stature…  I WOKE UP TODAY… IN THE DARK..  I couldn’t feel my heart..beat As I…

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The Construction of Race and How Racism is Maintained: A Conversation Facilitated by Linda Wiggins-Chavis

On July 14th, BAPL began a series of workshops about race and racism facilitated by Linda Wiggins-Chavis. This series, called “Dialogues on Racial Justice: An Introductory Workshop Series on Issues of Systemic Racism in the United States,” continues the much needed work of grappling with racism in our communities in order to facilitate necessary institutional…

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