Tag neighbors

Global Neighbors Series – India

madammommy 1 Comment
A set of six portraits, with Team Kheyal Khushi in script.

“Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilization.” Mahatma Gandhi 

In Howard County, we are blessed to live in a community where our neighbors come from various parts of the world. They bring their culture, food, and traditions to enrich our lives and expand our horizons. We, at Howard County Library System, celebrate our diversity and highlight the rich culture and art of the countries where our neighbors come from to foster better understanding of each other and create a more cohesive community. 

Join us in celebrating the contributions of one of Howard County’s largest demographics, India, on Sunday, October 29 from 2 to 4 pm at Miller Branch. India is indeed a land of diversity. With 22 recognized languages, innumerable dialects, vastly different and unique cultures and traditions in 28 states, it is not easy to encompass the rich diversity of India in a mere two hours. We provide a glimpse of the arts from a few regions of India to whet your appetite to explore more. We invite you to enjoy traditional Indian music, Indian regional dances, dhak (Indian drum), recitation, Bollywood dance, Indian classical dance and henna application. 

Registration is preferred, not required.  

A white piece of paper with the Longest Table logo at the bottom reads, "I am read to listen to understand across divides."

Community Engagement for Equity

Kristen B. Leave a comment
A woman with long dark hair holds a sign that reads, "Listen. Respond positively. Be courageous! Show Compassion!"
Smiling woman holding a motivational message from the Longest Table event.

by Katie DiSalvo-Thronson

Learn about what’s local!

This fall we designed and launched a new series of programs to educate customers about local diversity, equity, and inclusion issues, and connect participants to organizations taking action on those topics.

Why? Our mission to provide high-quality education for all must include education about our own community! As local news coverage has decreased, it is especially imperative to create conversations and presentations where our shared experience as Howard County residents is discussed and analyzed. We hope you come learn with us, and that our programming helps you contribute to our community.

Look forward to events on the county council’s Racial Equity Taskforce and more.

Learn about your neighbors!

In strategic planning events held with over 500 residents in 2019 and early 2020, HCLS staff heard loud and clear that people are interested in ways to learn about each other. People said they want opportunities to bridge what can feel like racial, cultural, and political divides in the country and build more community. At the excellent 2020 virtual Longest Table, participants voiced this request again.

Howard County is asking HCLS to make spaces for people to connect with and learn from each other. Look ahead to more programming in 2021 with small group discussion, especially on diversity, equity, and inclusion topics.

Additionally, HCLS will be launching a story collection effort on racial equity issues. We have two goals. First, we hope to build community – that sharing and listening to stories will increase our understanding of each other, provide recognition of diverse experiences, and spur new relationships. Second, we seek impact. We will use our stories to understand local diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts more precisely. We will publicly share stories and community-led analysis of these stories to help inform local decision-making. We can’t wait to start this process with you.

Stay tuned at hclibrary.org and through HiLights, our weekly email newsletter.

Katie is the Community Education and Engagement Manager for HCLS. She loves people, the big questions, the woods, and chocolate.