Adams Cuts To Libraries Hurts Black And Poor Children [Video]

I was raised in upstate New York and went to schools that were predominately white. The education I received about my own heritage was mostly absent from those classrooms, but not from my life. I found myself, my ancestors and our stories in the town library, which had a far more diverse collection of books than the one at school. Because of my local public libraries, I learned about Alex Haley’s Roots, the nuances of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy beyond his “I Have a Dream” speech, and so much more.

I moved to New York City after graduating college, and I discovered the majesty of the Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Branch. It was home not only to an incredible amount of books and periodicals but also a variety of cultural programs, employment resources and other free events. It put my humble local library in the outskirts of Syracuse, …