Race and Social Equity
Bellingham Public Library stands with the Urban Libraries Council Statement on Race and Social Equity.
We acknowledge that we gather on territory that has been the traditional and ancestral homeland to the Lhaq’temish (Lummi people), the Nooksack people, and other Coast Salish tribes of this region Since Time Immemorial.
We honor our shared responsibility to this land and these waters, we commit to learning from indigenous wisdom, and we strive to repair and deepen our relationships as neighbors and friends.
Digital Storytelling Promotes Healing and Shared Understanding
In partnership with Connecting Community, the Friends of Bellingham Public Library and numerous private donors, Bellingham Public Library has produced two series of digital storytelling videos featuring local community members.
The Unrooted Experience
To encourage racial equity and understanding, a group of powerful community voices gathered in November 2020 to share their lived experiences in Bellingham, WA through personal storytelling and video. This Digitial Storytelling project, titled The Unrooted Experience, came to life in the middle of the COVID19 pandemic – at the same time that a call to action against anti-Blackness grew profoundly clear. Watch digital stories here.
Resilience Circle
Resilience Circle is a collection of digital stories told by Lummi Nation and Nooksack Tribal Members in June 2022 in collaboration with Northwest Indian College and Bellingham Public Library. The videos were created in a workshop facilitated by Connecting Community, to encourage healing through personal storytelling. Watch digital stories here.
Community Voices Kits
Community Voices Book Kits center and celebrate diverse voices and experiences in our community. These kits, curated by the Bellingham Public Library children’s staff will provide stories, conversation opportunities and resources for families that help bridge learning, understanding and connection with each other.