A new library in the Stop Six neighborhood in southeast Fort Worth celebrates Black history by connecting residents to free books.
The outdoor library, located at 2800 Yeager Street, is the work of the nonprofit Community Frontline and Believe In Yourself Do It Yourself Records.
It has an old-school newsstand feel, can fit more than 250 books and will be available to readers in need of a good book for free, 24-7.
And by design, the community library highlights authors of color.
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"We're doing this to provide literature. So we can provide knowledge, provide power to the people in the community. We want to make sure people have a place they can come and they can get Black books, Black authors. They can find out about Latino authors. They can find out about their history, their past, and their future," said Matthew Nelson, one of the organizers.
Community Frontline leadership wrote notable Black authors' names on the front of the library to celebrate the legacy these authors have left behind. To enhance the community legacy and lead with the recognition that this library belongs to the community, the launch of the outdoor installation was celebrated with community members signing their names alongside these internationally recognized names.
And as with many community libraries, the goal is for community members to bring a book, take a book; CF hopes that the community will become invested in this space - becoming stewards of it while creating a genuinely representational offering of books.
Books accepted include:
- Gently used/good/like-new condition
- Black authors
- Latino authors
- History
- Fiction
- Non-fiction
- Biography
- Art
- Finance
- Sci-fi
- Children’s books
- Education
- How-to
For the organizers, the why behind the new library is simple, "because education and beautiful literature are tools our community deserves."
