Little Free
BIPOC Library

A Little Free Library devoted to books by and about people who are Black, Indigenous, of Color and other marginalized groups.

-- Dedicated to Matt-T --

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In Northwest Hills, Austin, TX, near the intersection, of Waterline and Far West, you’ll find a Little Free Library. It was born from a months-long discernment after the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. Every day, I learn more about how being white in a country built on racism from its earliest years has given me privileges that I didn't earn. This library is only a first step towards making life safer, healthier, and equitable for marginalized groups in this country.

Why?

There are at least two other little free libraries in this neighborhood, both full of wonderful books. They encourage reading and literacy and are a vital part of a healthy neighborhood that values education. Their addresses are available inside our library if you'd like to donate non-BIPOC books or search for other topics to read about.But a majority of the books in these libraries were written by white people, about white people. This is not criticism or accusatory. It's a reflection of our neighborhood, city, state, and country. This is the water we swim in.It's important for people of color, especially kids, to read books whose heroes look like them and books that reflect their experiences and history.It's just as important for people who aren't "othered" by the color of their skin to go out of our way to read books about people who are different from us, consume media made by non-white people, and follow a variety of people on social media. Being more familiar with different perspectives helps us make more educated decisions about our social lives, our votes, and where we spend our money.
(Keep reading for suggestions about podcasts and people to follow on social media to diversify your feed.)I try to be aware each day of the privilege that comes from the skin I was born with. That doesn't mean my life has been easy or without great challenge. It does mean that I was able to recover from those challenges more easily because of the upbringing, education, and connections that I have - most of which I did nothing to earn.For all these reasons, my family and I are offering this little library in hopes that it can make the slightest contribution towards evening the playing field for everyone.

Start Here

Think you don't need to educate yourself about anti-racism? I say that we can all learn. I've been a "yellow dog democrat liberal do-gooder" all my adult life. I've attended a historically Black church since 1994. And what I've learned since early 2020 about the history of racism in Austin and the United States makes me think I knew nothing all those years.The Seeing White podcast opened my eyes to how much I didn't know. I can't recommend this 14-episode series enough.

Donations

We'd gladly welcome any donations you can make to the Little Free BIPOC library. Whether it's books you've already read or you'd like to buy books (by or about people who are BIPOC), you can just leave them in the library.(In other words, if they aren’t about straight white people- we’ll take them!)If you're going to buy books, please consider shopping at Black Pearl Books. It's convenient to Northwest Hills. Plus, you'll support a local, woman-owned, black-owned business.

Social Media

Do the people you follow on social media mostly look like you? If so, you're only getting a small view of the world around you. Plus, you're missing out on culture, ideas, and inspiration. Here are just a few people to follow to give you a more balanced world-view. Will you agree with everything they say? Probably not. Surely you don't agree with everything all of your friends and family say, right? Or even what’s on the evening news? Your mind will be broadened as you learn about other lives.

I'll expand this list to include others as time allows!

Other Resources

Most of these resources came from the My Work to Do sessions.

Matt-T

Matt-T was a strong, elegant, educated woman. She cooked and cleaned for my grandmother because she didn't have many other options in Little Rock in the 60s and 70s.My parents tried to teach me that racism was wrong. As they outgrew their own upbringing, their efforts were often misguided, fumbling, and inconsistent with their life choices. My grandfather was an unashamed bigot. I knew there was something in this race thing, but didn't understand what it was.As Matt-T held me in her lap when I was about 5, I was stroking her arm and said,"I wish your skin was the same color as mine."She answered:"I know you are saying that because you love me. And I love you too. That's why I'm going to tell you something very important. I am proud of the color of my skin. I would never want to change it. I like who I am."And it could have ended there, and I probably would have forgotten it.Over the years, Matt-T gave me many gifts and taught me many things. She risked her job to teach the truth to me. Her greatest gift of all was that, as I grew up, she reminded me of this story multiple times. She would always come to my grandmother's house - we rarely went to hers. When she left, I would walk her to the door and tell her I loved her. She would tell me she loved me too and retell this story to me. It was very important to her that I did not forget.So this project is dedicated to Matt-T. I hope that, sitting in heaven, she knows that I'm still learning from her wisdom today.

I haven’t been able to contact Matt-T’s family to ask for their blessing in using her photo and this story. On the remote chance that Sarah, Ann, Timothy, or any of her other family see this, please know that I will respect your wishes.