EAST SIDE FREEDOM LIBRARY
1105 Greenbrier Street, Saint Paul, MN 55106

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Organizations Filed Purposes: The East Side Freedom Library's Mission is to inspire soidarity, advocate for justice, and work toward equity for all. The library houses non-circulating collections which support community events, sharing art and learning about labor, immigration history and African-American history.

Highlights of ESFL's cultural work include: poetry readings by Rhythmic Literature, an Ethiopian cultural organization; puppet shows by Z Puppets, accompanied by the Bakken Trio of chamber musicians; performances by jazz quartet Le Voyage; providing space for weekly weaving workshops with Karen immigrant women, including a month of their mentoring high school students; photography exhibits ("Who is Hmong?", "For the Sake of the Family" - Japanese-American images) with public discussions. Since our pivot to online programming, we have hosted book discussions, screened and discussed films, and provided access to dance, theatrical, and musical performances which originated elsewhere but were made available for ESFL to share with our communities.

ESFL hosted more than 3,000 visitors this fiscal year. In mid-March, our in-person programming was disrupted by the Pandemic, but we had already hosted: very successful author events, including a monthly "History Revealed" series co-sponsored by the Ramsey County Historical Society; four public discussions of the legacy of US-Native American treaties in conjunction with hosting the Minnesota Humanities Center's traveling exhibit, "Why Treaties Matter;" panel presentations on Iran, Syria, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Hong Kong, led by people who had grown up in those countries, and poetry readings. From April through June we developed a robust presence of online programming, including book discussions, film screenings, and panel discussions on both historical and contemporary topics. Hundreds of people watched these programs which were broadcast on our Facebook and YouTube pages, both when the programs premiered and after they were archived.

To promote teaching and learning, ESFL staff and volunteers mentored nearly 100 middle and high school students who were undertaking National History Day research projects. We also hosted: classes for the New Brookwood Labor College, a new 501(c)(3) educational project, which included collaboration with Metro State University's Masters in Policy & Leadership (MAPL) Program, the University of Minnesota's Labor Education Service, and a number of local labor organizations; a course on "Immigration and the Making of St. Paul" for the Adult & Community Education Program of the St. Paul Public Schools; a series of historically-focused walking tours of Swede Hollow and Payne Avenue; a series of workshops in Critical Ethnic Studies for St. Paul Public Schools teachers; monthly workshops in Restorative Practices, convened by the St. Paul Public Schools and the St. Paul Federation of Educators. With support from the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Metro Regional Arts Council, and the City of St. Paul Cultural STAR Program, ESFL curated and hosted workshops in community journalism, creative writing and visual art. Over the year, ESFL staff mentored 8 student interns who were enrolled at Metro State University, the University of Minnesota, Macalester College, Augsburg College, and the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs. These students earned college credits for their work.

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