Hartness Library Book Club/Vermont Reads:
Part two of the Hartness Library Book Club Racial Justice Series continues in October with the Vermont Reads 2020 title, The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas and 13th, a documentary film by Ava DuVernay. More information and resources can be found on our guide: https://libguides.hartness.vsc.edu/vermontreads2020
Context: The current Black Lives Matter movement has once again highlighted the systemic racism embedded in the very fabric of our society. As evidenced by the resolution passed by the Board of Trustees to fly the BLM flag on each VSC campus, we—as VSCS community members and Vermonters—are called upon to engage in an open and honest dialogue around issues of race in America. The Hartness Library Racial Justice Series couples a book and film that address a succession of crucial topics: whiteness & the history of race (Sept), police brutality & the criminalization of black folx (Oct), and how to move forward: next steps towards greater justice (Nov).
- Read the book: Fill out this form to request a free copy of our October book, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas: https://67237.account.worldcat.org/account/ill-workform/ILL_PATRON_REQUEST_BOOK
About the book: Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr. But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this is a powerful and gripping YA novel about one girl’s struggle for justice. (Goodreads)
- Watch the film 13th for free on YouTube: https://youtu.be/krfcq5pF8u8
About the movie: The title of Ava DuVernay’s extraordinary and galvanizing documentary refers to the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which reads, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States.” The progression from that second qualifying clause to the horrors of mass criminalization and the sprawling American prison industry is laid out by DuVernay with bracing lucidity. With a potent mixture of archival footage and testimony from a dazzling array of activists, politicians, historians, and formerly incarcerated women and men, DuVernay creates a work of grand historical synthesis. (Netflix)
Join us for the extended discussion on Monday, 10/19 from 12-1:30pm. Email hartness@vsc.edu or call #800-431-0025 for the zoom link.
Galleries:
Art by Phillip Robertson
Phillip Robertson is an interdisciplinary artist, educator and printmaker, living in Vermont since 1994. Phillip is inspired by the natural landscape, using his imagination and memory to look beyond realism to make a statement about the pastoral landscape tradition in the 21st century. He earned his BFA in Painting with a Minor in Art History from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst in 1989 and earned an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College in 2008.
Robertson currently teaches printmaking, drawing, painting and art history at Northern Vermont University (Johnson Campus) and the Community College of Vermont. He is the Director of the Julian Scott Memorial Gallery on the Johnson campus of Northern Vermont University and has been involved as volunteer at the T.W. Wood Gallery in Montpelier, Vermont since 1997.
Robertson’s artwork will be on display at the Hartness Library in Randolph Center through the Fall semester.
Ongoing Events:
Hartness Library Virtual Yarn & Craft Circle – Fridays at Noon
Contact us for the link: Email hartness@vsc.edu or call #800-431-0025
Happy yarning!
