On Friday, Oct. 15, 2021 a ferocious "Library Monster" was spotted at the Reynolds Trunk-or-Treat behind the Parham campus in RVA. New library/ tutoring staffers Kelly Dalton & Rachel Partington tried to calm the curious but frightened crowd with bags of Halloween candy and Halloween bookmarks. Although many children and visitors witnessed the beast's height … Continue reading Library Monster Spotted on Friday Night
Autism Awareness Month
Autism Awareness Display at the Downtown Campus Library Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication. According to the Centers for Disease Control, autism affects an estimated 1 in 54 children in the United States today. From: autismspeaks.org Autism isn’t a … Continue reading Autism Awareness Month
How much we’ve changed since COVID 19
The other night I was selecting a streaming video of a late night comedian/talk show host. I was looking at March dates and began watching. The show was being filmed from the host's garden and the host himself looked very pale and washed out. He began talking about COVID, which was certainly not unusual when … Continue reading How much we’ve changed since COVID 19
Twisted Love Stories for Valentine’s Day
Who doesn’t want to read a good love story? Preferably one that ends well and gives us faith that love is real and true, such as The Princess Bride. There are many such stories which are very satisfying in their own way yet we are often drawn to other stories where love has gone awry … Continue reading Twisted Love Stories for Valentine’s Day
Transgender Day of Remembrance
Transgender Flag, designed by Monica Helms. November 20 marked the twenty-first annual Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR), the day when we remember people who have been murdered because of transphobia. Started in 1999 by Gwendolyn Ann Smith to memorialize Rita Hester, TDoR grew to encompass all lives lost to anti-transgender bigotry and violence during the … Continue reading Transgender Day of Remembrance
Honoring Hispanic Heritage
Tonight, we wrap up National Hispanic American Heritage Month (September 15-October 15), in which we've celebrated Hispanic and Latin American culture and honored the contributions of the Latinx community in the US. It is timed to coincide with the dates that many Latin American countries shrugged off the yoke of European colonization and won their … Continue reading Honoring Hispanic Heritage
Celebrating the 19th Amendment
The Nineteenth Amendment, which granted women the right to vote, was certified by Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby on August 26, 1920. Better known as the Susan B Anthony Amendment, congressional approval and ratification by the requisite 75% of states was the result of over seventy years of active struggle. An amendment allowing women the … Continue reading Celebrating the 19th Amendment
Juneteenth
Juneteenth Emancipation Day Celebration, June 19, 1900, Texas by Mrs. Charles Stephenson (Grace Murray) from The Portal to Texas History Austin History Center, Austin Public Library. This media file is in the public domain in the United States. On June 19th, 1865, in Galveston, Texas Union Major General Gordon Granger read General Order Number Three to an … Continue reading Juneteenth
Gay Pride Month 2020
Stonewall Inn (#14) pride weekend 2016 Image taken from Wikimedia Commons. Image licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.“The spirit that emerged outside a Mafia-run bar in 1969 became the pulse of the gay community and inspired not just an annual parade but ways to express gay pride in individual lives.Stonewall happens every day.”― Ann Bausum, Stonewall: … Continue reading Gay Pride Month 2020
June: Loving v. Virginia
In June of 1967, the Lovings won a landmark civil liberties case against the Commonwealth of Virginia's interracial marriage laws and were the first of many couples to celebrate the downfall of Anti-miscegenation Laws that were in effect across the Southern states. June 12th is the day that we celebrate the accomplishment of one couple … Continue reading June: Loving v. Virginia