The 2022 Community Read program is designed to help our community, “find common ground” by promoting a community of readers, learners and creating a platform for discussion. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation and National Endowment for the Humanities, the Library is able to give away a limited number of books at our branch locations. Beginning February 14, 2022 customers can request a free copy of one of the six Community Read titles to keep.

Book pick up will continue while supplies last. Call or visit your local branch location for more information. Each of the six Community Read titles are available for checkout in our collection as well with a Library card.

Everyone in the community can participate in Community Read: read a book, share perspectives, attend a program, engage on social media and build a stronger community together.

Visit the Community Read page for additional information, to register for programs take join the Community Read challenge today.

When faced with injustice, Rosa Parks refused to move and ignited a movement. On Rosa Parks Day, February 4, (date can vary by state location), we remind ourselves that the path to equality and racial justice is long and winding, but we must never give up.

To celebrate, we've put together a list of books for adults, YA and children as well as books about the Montgomery Bus Boycott. And while you're reading, get inspired by a curated playlist on Freegal Music.

Adult Books

At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance: A New History of the Civil Rights Movement, From Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power by Danielle L McGuire

Rosa Parks in Her Own Words by Susan Reyburn

Seven Women and the Secret of Their Greatness by Eric Metaxas

Our Auntie Rosa The Family of Rosa Parks Remembers Her Life and Lessons by Sheila McCauley Keys

The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks with A New Introduction by Jeanne Theoharis

Rosa Parks a Penguin Life by Douglas Brinkley

The Girl at the Back of The Bus by Suzette D. Harrison

The Rosa Parks Story (DVD)

YA Books

Rosa Parks – My Story by Rosa Parks

The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks for Young Readers by Jeanne Theoharis

Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Connie Colwell Miller *             

The Story of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott in Photographs by David Aretha

Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Lydia Bjornlund

Rosa Parks and Civil Disobedience by Alison Morretta

Children’s Books

Cake Pops with Rosa Parks by Kyla Steinkraus

Little People Big Dreams: Rosa Parks by Lisbeth Kaiser

When Rosa Parks Went Fishing by Rachel Ruiz

I Am Rosa Parks by Brad Meltzer

I am Strong: A Little Book about Rosa Parks by Brad Meltzer

Who Was Rosa Parks? By Yona Zeldis McDonough

The Extraordinary Life of Rosa Parks by Sheila Kanani

A Girl Named Rosa: The True Story of Rosa Parks by Denise Lewis Patrick

If A Bus Could Talk – The Story of Rosa Parks by Faith Ringgold

Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired A Nation by Andrea Davis Pinkney

Back of the Bus by Aaron Reynolds

Who Sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott?: Rosa Parks: A Who HQ Graphic Novel by Insha Fitzpatrick

The Bus Ride by William Miller

Books about the Montgomery Bus Boycott:

Pies From Nowhere: How Georgia Gilmore Sustained the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Dee Romito

March by John Lewis

The Montgomery Bus Boycott by Allison Crotzer Kimmel

Stride Toward Freedom the Montgomery Story by Martin Luther King Jr

Walk to Freedom: Montgomery Bus Boycott by Virginia Loh-Hagan

12 Incredible Facts About The Montgomery Bus Boycott by Lois Sephaban

The Thunder of Angels the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the People Who Broke the Back of Jim Crow by Donnie Williams

Freedom Walkers the Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russell Freedman

Claudette Colvin Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose

Claudette Colvin Refuses to Move Courageous Kid of the Civil Rights Movement by Ebony Wilkins

Daughter of the Boycott Carrying on a Montgomery Family's Civil Rights Legacy by Karen Gray Houston

Freegal Music Links

Oh Freedom - The Golden Gospel Singers

Lift Ev’ry Voice – Kurt Carr

We Shall Overcome - Mahalia Jackson

A Change Is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke

Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now - McFadden & Whitehead

O-o-h Child - The Five Stairsteps

BLACK PARADE - Beyoncé

Freedom - Beyoncé

Everything Is Everything Ms. Lauryn Hill

Rosa Parks - Jessica J Williams

Rosa Parks - SUMRRÁ

Towards Freedom - Oswando Jazz Quartet

A Movement for Rosa

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This book and music list was compiled by Kiara Garrett, teen librarian at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

Public libraries in the United States are free and open to everyone. Charlotte Mecklenburg Library has long been a safe and trusted place for those looking for support and services – offering English conversation classes, citizenship preparation, computer literacy programs and more. We never turn anyone away or ask about immigration status. Our Library staff can help you find information on many topics and can give you a library card that allows you to borrow items, such as books and other resources, free of charge. Charlotte Mecklenburg Library branches have computers and free Wi-Fi that you can use to access the internet.

The Library also offers classes, online assessments and handouts to strengthen your digital skills. We want to help you become a more confident technology user. We are currently offering our Basic Skills and Workplace Tools classes, which feature popular Microsoft Office software and Google services. We continue to add more online classes, so please check our calendar frequently for the most up-to-date class availability. All classes are held virtually via Zoom. New to using Zoom? Check out this helpful video to get you started.

If you already have a Library card you can access many digital resources for learning and exploring. If you are new to Charlotte, visit your nearest library branch with a photo ID and proof of Mecklenburg County residency to receive a physical card. If you cannot get to a branch, consider a virtual card. It all has the same benefits as a physical card, and you can print it or add it to your mobile device using our app. 

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is proud to partner with Mecklenburg County Public Health to offer at-home COVID-19 test kits via curbside service at Library locations. Though any community member can obtain test kits through this program, tests are especially intended for community members who are:

• Unable to obtain testing through other methods
• Experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or believe they may have been exposed to someone infected with COVID-19.

NOTE: No personal identification (ID) or insurance is needed to obtain test kits through this program. The tests are for personal at-home use. Prescriptions or clinical supervision are not necessary to obtain or administer these tests.

To obtain an at-home test kit through this program, visit one of the locations listed below, on or after February 7, during the following scheduled days and hours:
 

Locations and hours for COVID-19 at-home test kit pickup:

Mint Hill: Every Wednesday with Public Health Staff On-Site

North County Regional: Every Thursday with Public Health Staff On-Site

Hickory Grove and West Blvd: Alternating Wednesdays with Public Health Staff On-Site

All the above locations hours: 10 AM – 4 PM

NOTE: Hours and availability are subject to change without advanced notice. The test kits in this program are available while supplies last.

When you arrive at a Library location, please follow these steps:

1. Park in a spot reserved for at-home test pick up.
2. Follow the signs to the building.
3. DO NOT ENTER the library building; a Public Health Team Member will meet you outside the library facility.

If you have any questions, concerns or difficulty at the location, please call Mecklenburg County Public Health’s COVID-19 information hotline at 980-314-9400 (Choose Option 3), Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. You can also visit MECKNC.GOV/COVID-19 for more information.

We hate to break your heart on Valentine’s Day, but we’re improving our systems just for you. Please expect an interruption in Library services and accessing resources on Monday, February 14, 2022 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

During that time, online and digital resources (OverDrive/Libby, hoopla, etc.) will be unavailable. Library users also won’t be able to place holds, use self-checkout, renew items, pay fees, sign up for a Library card or call/live-chat with Library staff.
 
Library locations will remain open and customers will be able to: access internet-ready computers and complete materials checkouts with staff assistance.

We apologize for any inconvenience this interruption in service may cause. As always, we appreciate your patronage and look forward to improving our libraries to better serve our community.

The South County Regional Library is in South Charlotte, on the corner of Rea Road and Pineville-Matthews Road. A beautiful public art piece, Open Book, Open Mind by North Carolina artist and sculptor Jim Gallucci, features colorful book covers with classic titles, brightens up the exterior of the branch. This southernmost location in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Library system is freshly renovated. On the first level of the two-story building, our popular collection, composed of the newest adult books, DVDs, books on disc, and playaways, is the first department visible from the front door. The children’s department houses a new storytime room with a wooden tree that grows up to the ceiling! Also located on the first floor is a “cafe” with vending machines, tables, and a laptop bar.

Upstairs there is an awesome teen zone with a private teen loft set aside for studying and teen programming. Tables, chairs, and booths fill the second level and create perfect spaces for customers to read, write, and tutor. There are also windowed alcoves for customers who desire more privacy. The majority of the adult collection can be found upstairs. Genres range from romance to mystery, and best sellers to independent publishing houses. There are adult and young adult graphic novels, an adult large print collection, public computers, and printers as well.

South Charlotte is a growing community full of residents from all over the world. To assist them to the best of our ability, our library houses an extensive collection of world language materials for all ages. In the young adult collection, there are books in Spanish, Chinese, Gujarati, Hindi, Japanese, Russian, and Vietnamese. For adults, there is a world language section which includes Arabic, French, German, Gujarati, Marathi, Telugu, Hindi, Russian, Chinese (there is a substantial number of books!), Vietnamese, and Spanish (this is another extensive collection). Finally, the children’s department contains books in Spanish, Spanish/English (books that have both languages on the pages), Gujarati, Hindi, Telugu, French, German, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese. In addition to the languages in print found at South County, there are also members of the staff who are fluent in Russian, Greek, Vietnamese, German, Hindi, Marathi, and Afrikaans, to name a few!

The Four Mile Creek greenway is walking distance from South County, and is a popular, outdoor, walkable park. If you are looking for a beautiful location to jog, walk, or bike, this greenway is a wonderful place to be outdoors and avoid car traffic. Across the street from the greenway is a Trader Joe’s location, which always keeps the parking lot on the corner of Rea Rd and Bevington Place busy.

There are a wide range of communities and shopping centers within a 20-minute radius of South County. The Arboretum (Pineville Matthews Road near Providence Road), Stonecrest (Rea Road, near 485), and Blakeney (the intersection of Rea Road and Ardrey Kell) are examples of local shopping centers which house stores and restaurants for all your shopping and dining needs, such as Wal-Mart, Target, Old Navy, Harris Teeter, Marshalls, Malaya Kitchen, Nothing but Noodles, Greco, 131 Main, and Zoe’s Kitchen. A nearby neighborhood named Ballantyne has much to offer including a location named, Ballantyne’s Backyard. It is an old golf course converted into a community park. For our Hindu neighbors, the Hindu Center of Charlotte is a 30-minute drive away from this branch.  

New to Charlotte? Explore other neighborhoods through the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library blog and WelcomeCLT, a digital space created for newcomers to Charlotte.

Resources:

• South County Regional Library – 5801 Rea Rd, Charlotte, NC 28277 | 704-416-6600
• Trader Joe’s -- 6418 Rea Rd, Charlotte, NC 28277 | 704-543-5249
• The Arboretum -- 8008 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC 28277
• Stonecrest -- 7900 Rea Rd, Charlotte, NC 28277
• Blakeney -- 9870 Rea Rd, Charlotte, NC 28277
• Malaya Kitchen -- 8200-400 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC 28277 | 704-541-6668
• Greco -- 9820 Rea Rd Suite E, Charlotte, NC, 28277 | 704-542-7770
• Ballantyne’s Backyard -- 11611 N Community House Rd, Charlotte, NC 28277 | 704-248-2000
• Hindu Center of Charlotte -- 7400 City View Dr, Charlotte, NC 28212 | 704-607-8412

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This blog is written by Kristiana Belsito, a library assistant for Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

If you thought we’d get emotional about your kind words about how much you love the Library, you were right. We can’t help it – you’re our people.

As we cling to our mission to improve lives and build a stronger community, we wholly commit ourselves to being the best Library we can be for everyone who enters our doors, visits us online, hangs out on our Mobile Library and more. Through our programs, partnerships, resources and services, we make connections and build relationships that sometimes last a lifetime.

February is Library Lover’s Month and we wanted to give you the floor - or a blog post - to gush or boast about what you love about the Library, friendships you've made, programs you'll always remember, your favorite librarian, and even the impact Charlotte Mecklenburg Library has made on your life. And we hope you know; the love is mutual.

Here’s what you had to share:

“Love the virtual rookie science programs at my library. Very engaging for me and my little ones!”

- Joan (North County)

“As a 5-and-a-half-year-old girl in blue overalls and blonde pigtails, I would pull my red wagon up to the Myers Park Library and fill my wagon with books that I loved to read. It was a passion that I would do every few days. Books took me to far away places, and taught me a love of animals and how to protect them. There was no better place to feel safe and secure. Because I loved reading, I became a reading teacher for many years. I am always with a book!

- Linda (Myers Park)



"When I was single, I used to rent movies, read real estate magazines and just hang out there reading different books of interest. As a student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, I used the room provided to study and PC rooms to revise my resume. Now married with kids, I love the fact that you guys have bilingual reading events. For me, it's beneficial for my kids to be bilingual and it's good to start early."

- Christian (North County)

"I still remember when my dad took me to University City Regional Library for the first time and got my library card. The cube when you first walk in had me awestruck. Over the years, I moved and I always missed and longed for this library. Finally, I moved back and Covid hit, but this library helped me virtually connect with so many book clubs and now new friends!"

- Heather (University City)

"When my family and I moved to Charlotte in 2007, I had no idea the trips to SouthPark Library with my then, two-year-old, would provide the missing puzzle piece to determining what type of writer I would become. While I'd always loved to write, reading multiple picture books with my daughter created a new passion and desire to write one myself. Fast-forward 15 years. I have published one picture book, and have a chapter book series coming out fall 2022. Among a few other things, I owe my love for children's lit and ultimately my writing career, to those library treks with my toddler in tow. Some of my fondest memories for sure."

- Dorothy (SouthPark)

"We have the Library to thank for our love story. Meeting at a book club in fall 2017, it wasn't quite love at first sight, but many years wiser and book discussions later, we started dating in 2020. Nurtured by our book club leader, who encouraged our romance, we enjoy reading together, sharing recommendations, and discussing what we're reading. We're a nerdy match made in book club heaven."

- Sarah (Plaza Midwood)



"My mom took me to UC and ImaginOn for years, but I first started frequenting the UC library when I was pulled out of CMS and homeschooled in 2012-2013. I had been struggling a lot academically and emotionally, and felt very alone. The library was a place I knew I could always escape and do schoolwork, and get lost in books about airplanes, electronics, and Guinness World Records. Even now years later, I always feel comforted knowing the library is always there even when I feel lost."

- Ben (University City)

Paws to Read program:

"Hi Kristen, thank you so much, that was exceptional. I could hear Ruben’s owner interacting and laughing at the pictures and that means a lot to Ari. It’s such a positive experience to have these interactions. CMLibrary's OUTSTANDING librarians and staff have made our lives rich with positivity in this world tragedy. As a mom, having these lights shining in my daughters and my life makes my heart sing!"

- Ari & Lesle (Matthews 

Harry Golden (1902-1981) was born Harry Goldhirsch on May 6, 1902 in eastern Galicia. In 1905, he immigrated to America with his parents Leib and Anna Klein Goldhirsch. The family settled in the Lower East Side of New York City and changed their last name to Goldhurst. Leib Goldhurst worked as a teacher and later served as the editor of the Jewish Daily Forward. 

Harry was an excellent scholar and equally well-read in areas of literature, history and philosophy. During the day, Harry peddled newspapers and clerked for Oscar Geiger’s Fur Manufacturing Company. At night, he attended East Side Evening High School and graduated in 1921. For the next three years, he attended night classes at the City College of New York, but left before graduating.  From 1918-1921 while working for Oscar Geiger, he became involved with the Round Table Literary Club. It was through this organization that Harry rounded off his education and became a public speaker for the Socialist Party and social reforms. 

Harry Golden. Photographed by Verdie Perille, 1956. (Courtesy of RSCR, H_2000_01_349_20) 

After leaving college, Harry worked as a stockbroker and by 1926 he was the head of the firm Kable and Company. That same year he married Genevieve Alice Marie Gallagher, a schoolteacher. The couple had four sons, Richard (b. 1927), Harry Jr., (b. 1927), William (b. 1929) and Peter (1938-1957).  

In 1929, Harry’s brokerage firm filed bankruptcy and he was charged with mail fraud. Found guilty, Harry spent three and half years in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary. He returned to New York in 1933 and worked for his brother, Jacob, who ran a hotel. However, Harry’s new aspiration was to become a journalist. Between 1939 and 1941, he sold advertisements for the New York Daily Mirror and the New York Post. It is reported that he worked at a number of southern newspapers at this time, but there is no verification of the exact locations. 

By late 1941 after a stint in Norfolk, Virginia, Harry settled permanently in Charlotte. He changed his last name to Golden to protect his prison record, which was later revealed in the late 1950s. His first job was selling advertising and writing editorials for the Charlotte Labor Journal and the Charlotte Observer. It was in Charlotte that Harry Golden’s reputation as a defender of civil rights and social justice solidified.  

Masthead of the Carolina Israelite, 1956. Courtesy of UNC-Charlotte's Race & Education in Charlotte Exhibit. 

“...It wasn’t that it was easier to start a newspaper in Charlotte than it was in New York—it is hard to start a newspaper anywhere—it was that the big story was in the South...” -Harry Golden 

In October 1942, he worked with the Charlotte News to print his own newspaper, the Carolina Israelite. Two years later Harry assumed all publishing and printing duties, which enabled him to publish the Carolina Israelite on a regular basis. The paper was solely Golden’s creation--he sold advertisements, wrote articles, and built an international circulation of 30,000. In 1958, a fire destroyed his subscription lists. This event was soon followed by the publication of his criminal record. However, Harry and the Carolina Israelite persevered until it folded in 1968. 

 

Left to right: Harry Golden, Richard E. Thigpen, Judge John J. Parker, and Judge Francis Biddle. Harry Golden awarded the Carolina Israelite Gold Medal Award to Judge John J. Parker at Hotel Charlotte, February 1949. Courtesy of Charlotte Observer. 

Harry Golden became the spokesperson for the rights of the oppressed, whether by race, religion, or economic status. His articles, although satirical in nature, raised subjects that were often taboo in the south, including equal rights for the Black community and discrimination against Jewish people. Harry wrote for the Nation, Commentary Life, and Congress Weekly, and in 1961, he covered the infamous Eichmann Trial. 

In 1958, Golden became a best-selling author with the publication of his essays entitled Only in America. One year later the book was adapted by famed playwrights Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee and presented on Broadway. Other works by Golden include Jews in American History: Their Contributions of the United States of America with Martin Rywell (1950), Jewish Roots in the Carolinas: A Pattern of America Phil-Semitism (1955), For 2 cents Plain (1959), Enjoy, Enjoy! (1960) Carl Sandburg (1961), Five Boyhoods (edited by Martin Levin, 1962), You’re Entitle’ (1962), The Harry Golden Omnibus (1962), Mr. Kennedy and the Negroes (1964), So What Else is New? (1964), Ess, Ess, Mein Kindt (1966), The Best of Harry Golden (1967), The Right Time; an Autobiography; an Autobiography (1969), So Long As You’re Healthy (1970), The Israelis; Portrait of a People (1971), The Golden Book of Jewish Humor (1972), The Greatest Jewish City in the World (1972), Travels through Jewish America (with Richard Goldhurst, 1973), Our Southern Landsmen (1974) and Long Live Columbus (1975). At the time of his death, Golden left an unpublished manuscript, “America, I Love You.” 

 

Harry Golden in his Charlotte home (Courtesy of RSCR, MIC_2013_08_274_00) 

In addition to his career in journalism, he was also a member of the American Jewish Congress, NAACP, Southern Regional Council, the Catholic Interracial Council, and B’nai B’rith.   

On October 2, 1981, Harry Golden died in his beloved, adopted city of Charlotte, and is buried at the Hebrew Cemetery. 

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The Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room houses the Harry Golden Papers, 1960-1978. To learn more about collection materials, view the finding aid on ArchivesSpace.  

Written by Shelia Bumgarner, Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room librarian. 

As an African American educator and children’s author,  in prior years I’ve noticed the lack of literature that our children have access to.  Literature that’s easy to read, understand and serves as a representation of themselves. However, current data includes some things to celebrate, and we are celebrating them! The number of diverse books published has increased substantially.

African American authors are misunderstood, misrepresented and fighting hard, frequently thankless, and it’s easy to become burnt out to get a spot on the shelf with African American representation in literature.  

Join us on Tuesday, February 22, 2022, as the Library hosts its second annual celebration of the National African American Read-In, an event for the entire family. This event will be live-streamed on the Library’s YouTube & Facebook Pages, and there, myself and a few other panelists will be expounding on this topic.

To see more information on the 2nd Annual National African American Read-In, click here.

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This blog was written by author Shaketa Richardson 

When my son arrived, I established a goal to read two books a day with him. Together, we read a variety of books featuring animals, shapes, children and letters. I enjoyed picture books where I was able to make up my own bedtime story for him. During those moments, I would usually make him the leading character and use his favorite toys or foods all throughout the story. A few months into our reading time, I began to take inventory of the children’s books within our home library. I became intrigued by the lack of diversity within the children’s books within our home and specifically the lack of everyday stories featuring young Black boys as the protagonist.

I started to get more specific on the type of book that I was looking for featuring a young Black boy. Many people love the children’s book I Love You Forever by Robert Munsch. It is a story of a mother who loves her son and follows their journey from the son being raised by his mother until the son ends up being the caregiver for his mother until she dies. I loved this story and the bond that it represents between a mother and her son. I felt confident that I would be able to find this everyday story told with mothers and sons from different cultural backgrounds. I decided to look online to see if I could find a few versions of this book and surprisingly, I could not find it. Instead, I found that there were more books with animals and trucks as the protagonist than there were about people of Color.

My entire life I have been exposed to the positive images of Black boys through my own personal encounters. Alternatively, I have watched the media publish demonizing images and stereotypes of Black boys that did not match my everyday experience.

As a parent, I am passionate about marrying the media images of Black boys with the actual joy and experience that exists within my everyday life. I believe that once the two images match that society will begin to see Black boys as humans and not “things” such as a thug or athletes. The labels that are put on Black boys allow society to detach itself from the idea that Black boys are indeed humans that are loved by their mothers and bring joy to those around them.

Join us on Tuesday, February 22, 2022, as the library hosts its second annual celebration of the National African American Read-In, an event for the entire family. This event will be live-streamed on the library’s YouTube & Facebook Pages, and there, myself and a few other panelists will be expounding on this topic.

To see more information on the 2nd Annual National African American Read-In, click here.

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This blog was written by author and National African American Read-In panelist Charlitta Hatch