February 01, 2024
Courtesy/Visit Philly
Joyce Abbott (above), the teacher who inspired the hit show "Abbott Elementary," will be seen in a series of advertisements promoting the Little Free(dom) Library initiative, which will give Philadelphians 1,500 banned books from Black authors.
Readers can find free books across the city this month through the Little Free(dom) Library, an initiative promoting banned titles from Black authors.
Throughout February, 13 sites in Philadelphia will give away 1,500 books that have been banned by school districts across the country. Similar to a Little Free Library, readers can pick up nonfiction and fiction books for free and leave other titles in the provided book receptacles. The program is a collaboration for Black History Month between the Little Free Library nonprofit, Visit Philly and the Free Library of Philadelphia.
Titles include "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates, "The 1619 Project" by Nikole Hannah-Jones, "Beloved" by Toni Morrison, "Ghost Boys" by Jewell Parker Rhodes and "The Undefeated" by Kwame Alexander. All books were purchased from the Black-owned bookstores Black and Nobel, Hakim's Bookstore & Gift Shop, Harriet's Bookshop, Uncle Bobbie's Coffee & Books and the Black Reserve Bookstore. Titles were curated by bookstore owners, Visit Philly staff and the Free Library.
"We really feel that how you get to know one another is by listening to someone else's story, so making sure that people have an opportunity to read those stories is what we wanted to do," Angela Val, president and CEO of Visit Philly, said.
The libraries feature bright artwork from Philadelphia artist Alloyius Mcilwaine. Books are available at the following facilities:
• Betsy Ross House (239 Arch St.)
• Columbia North YMCA (1400 N. Broad St.)
• Eastern State Penitentiary (2027 Fairmount Ave.)
• Faheem's Hands of Precision (2100 S. 20th St.)
• Frankford Community Development Corporation (4667 Paul St.)
• Franklin Square (200 N. 6th St.)
• Historic Germantown (5501 Germantown Ave.)
• Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church (419 S. 6th St.)
• Philadelphia Museum of Art (2600 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy.)
• The Independence Visitor Center (599 Market St.)
• The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts (300 S. Broad St.)
• South Street Off Center (407 South St.)
Not all titles are available at all locations, Val said. Books will be available into March, though they're available on a first-come, first-serve basis. The receptacles are mainly indoors; for ones inside museums and venues, readers don't need to purchase an entry ticket in order to access them.
"The way we really want to talk about our history is including all voices and all stories," Val said. "So making the stories accessible and available to both visitors and residents is how we share the fact that everyone, no matter who you are, how you got here, why you've come to the United States, whether you're born here or immigrated here, that everyone has contributed and all stories are important."
Streaming platforms will air 15-30 second advertisements about the initiative that feature the educator Joyce Abbott, the namesake for Quinta Brunson's "Abbott Elementary." A four-part social media video series will show prominent Philadelphians Marc Lamont Hill, Christina Afia Harris and Solomon Jones reading passages from books.
"We are excited to partner with Visit Philadelphia on this new initiative," Greig Metzger, executive director of Little Free Library, said in a statement. "Part of our mission is to expand book access for all, and this activation does just that."
Little Free(dom) Library is the third celebration in Visit Philly's "In Pursuit of A More Perfect Union" series honoring heritage months. Last year, Visit Philly held a drag queen story reading in honor of Pride Month and a public service announcement for Hispanic Heritage Month.
