Tewksbury Library receives $1,000 grant from Greater Lowell Community Foundation

TEWKSBURY » The Tewksbury Public Library announced on Thursday that it received a $1,000 grant from the Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF), which was one of 10 racial equity and inclusion grants recently awarded to area nonprofits by the founda

tion.

According to the library, GLCF awarded the grants in order to increase understanding of local, state and national challenges with racial equity, to promote stories of racial inequity in Greater Lowell and to raise awareness of resources and best practices related to advancing racial equity.

The library held a 15part Black History Month virtual series of programs in February, which was in part funded by the grant.

Some of the programs included: “Interracial Friendships In Youth: Obstacles & Possibilities,” with Professor Cinzia Pica-smith; “History Of Race & Politics In The Northeast,” with Professor Jason Sokol; “Racism & Civil Rights: A Historical Perspective,” with Professor David Kalivas; and “A People’s Guide To Greater Boston: Untold Stories From Underrepresented Communities,” with authors Joseph Nevins, Suren Moodliar, and Eleni Macrakis.

“Tewksbury has joined several other libraries in the Merrimack Valley — including Andover, Burlington, Chelmsford, Groton,

Haverhill, Lawrence, Lowell, Methuen, North Andover, North Reading, and Wilmington — in making a commitment to not ignore the sometimes uncomfortable topics associated with social justice when planning, booking, and delivering programs,” Community Outreach Librarian Robert Hayes said in a statement. “Tewksbury will continue to offer lots of author visits, lectures, concerts, plays, film screenings, book discussions, and everything else our patrons have come to expect, but we’ll be more deliberate with the selection of our programming topics and speakers with an eye towards addressing equity, diversity and inclusion.”

While Black History Month has recently passed, library said that they will continue to hold programs on race and race relations throughout the year. Anna Malaika Tubbs, author of the acclaimed new book, “The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation,” will speak on March 24 at 7 p.m. via Zoom.