COLUMBIA, S.C. — “One thing that Richland Library prides itself on is our commitment to celebrating the diversity in our community,” said media relations strategist, Tacara Carpenter.
The library honored and celebrated Native American's at all of its locations during the month of November.
“We decided to bring out books that featured tales written by Native American indigenous authors or stories about Native Americans, anything that just really brought to light their vibrant stories,” Carpenter said.
There are 9.7 million Native Americans belonging to 562 federally recognized nations or tribes that live in the US, each with a unique history according to the US Census bureau.
“We decided that we would have a diverse range of programs that highlighted the rich culture of native and indigenous communities.”
One of those programs included story time sessions for children to learn more about Native American heritage.
Carpenter went to a few of the story time sessions, “The librarian was teaching the kids different Native American words in authentic languages. So to see them and hear them repeating the words and learning the words…around that time it was right before thanksgiving…so they were learning words like “gratitude” and “family,” but to hear those children repeat them in the Native American language was really awesome.”
In addition to story time, the library featured a variety of photographs of Native Americans on display as visitors walked into the library.
“We had displays throughout our thirteen locations that celebrated the diversity and resilience of Native American cultures and their history.”
However, as November comes to an end the library looks forward to new things coming in December.
“We are unveiling our latest exhibition in the gallery, it's called a world of color.”
The new exhibit within the library will be unveiled this Friday, December 1st and will feature the art of photographer Missy McIver and the reception is open to the public.
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