2024
June 18, 2024 at 6:30 pm. Solidarity Stories Book Group - The Deep by Rivers Solomon et al. Solidary Stories, our community book group with Prince George's County Memorial Library System and Mixt Food Hall continued with a Pride Month and Juneteenth special conversation on The Deep.
Solidary Stories meets on the third Tuesday of the month at Mixt Food Hall in Mount Rainier at 6:30 pm - come join us!
June 12, 2024 at 6:30 pm. Rock Banned Book Club with PGCMLS. We held the last in our Rock Banned Book Club series with PGCMLS as we discussed This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson. This series, which began in June 2023, had us reading and discussing the top ten - but because there were ties, the top thirteen! - most challenged books of 2022 according to the American Library Association. Looking at a different book each month, we went to library branches around the County and engaged with community members about the books, what they learned, liked, and disliked about each book, what book challenges mean, and what the implications are to limiting access to information.
June 6, 2024 at 7 pm - Qamar-ul Huda on Reenvisioning Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution in Islam. Dr. Qamar-ul Huda joined us to talk about his new book, Reenvisioning Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution in Islam. Dr. Huda's wealth of knowledge and experience in community building, diplomacy, interfaith studies, and conflict resolution made for both an illuminating book and a dynamic, entertaining conversation. We are grateful he joined us! See our conversation with Dr. Huda here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xjy4PnDoM3o. Brought in partnership with PGCMLS.
June 6, 2024 at 4 pm - Community Conversation with Antonio Driver - a Pride Month Special Event. We joined PGCMLS in hosting the County Executive's LGBTQIA+ liaison, Antonio Driver, for a dynamic conversation that introduced him and his role to the community and that outlined his vision and goals for the work that he does. Get to know Antonio Driver and the role of the LGBTQIA+ liaison here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6ba0w6alUk
June 3, 2024 at 7 pm - Pilgrimage in Faith Interfaith Conversation. More than fifty people attended our interfaith conversation, held in partnership with Greenbelt Community Church, on Pilgrimage in Faith. Panelists shared their personal experiences with pilgrimage, their faith perspectives, and although diverse in presentation and faith, common threads ran through the evening. The Q and A following was interested, kind, and engaged. OHR has been hosting or co-hosting interfaith conversations since 2018 and look forward to holding more. We are committed to connecting to diverse faith communities throughout our region; if you'd like to meet with our office to learn more about what we do or if your faith community is interested in hosting an interfaith conversation, please reach out at ohrstaff(at)co.pg.md.us.
June 2, 2024 at 10 am - We participated in PRIDE at National Harbor and connected with community members as we came together to celebrate Pride.
May 29, 2024 at 7 pm - Flounce! A Conversation with Katrina Byrd, the Boa Flouncer. An ALS Awareness Month special event. We were joined by disability activist, writer, and ALS awareness advocate Katrina Byrd for a lively, heartfelt conversation about illness, disability, access to resources, and how one person can make an enormous difference with the life they have. See that conversation here.
May 28, 2024 at 7 pm - Allison Pitinii Davis on Line Study of a Motel Clerk. A Jewish American Heritage Month special event. We welcomed labor poet Allison Pitinii Davis back in conversation about her award-nominated collection, Line Study of a Motel Clerk. "In Line Study of a Motel Clerk, Allison Pitinii Davis explores the complicated intersections among ethnicity, family, work, and loss that shaped the culture of Youngstown," Dr. Sherry Linkon wrote, and our conversation with Allison ranged from immigration to identity to labor and class to how stories are passed, and at times lost, through the generations. See that conversation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ELa-xeikdk. This event held in partnership with PGCMLS.
May 23, 2024 at 7 pm - Cinema Love with author Jiaming Tang. An Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month Special Event. We had an extraordinary conversation with Jiaming Tang about his beautiful debut novel, Cinema Love. Spanning three timelines—post-socialist China, 1980s Chinatown, and contemporary New York—Cinema Love is an “exceptional” and “moving” (Alice Hoffman) epic about men and women who find themselves in forbidden relationships; the weight of secrets; and the way memory forever haunts the present. Jiaming Tang was a wonderful guest and it was a joy and privilege to talk to him about this luminous book. See that conversation here.
May 23, 2024 at 4 pm - Community Conversation with Dr. Mark Winston. We welcomed new Prince George's County Memorial Library System CEO, Dr. Mark Winston, for a Community Conversation about his role, background, and vision for the library system and the County. Get to know Dr. Winston and the knowledge, experience, and passion he brings to the County here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI9VPHZsoWc. Brought in partnership with PGCMLS.
May 21, 2024 at 6:30 pm - Solidary Stories - They Called Us Enemy. Solidary Stories, our community book group with Prince George's County Memorial Library System and Mixt Food Hall continued with a lively conversation about George Takei's graphic novel They Called Us Enemy, in honor of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
Solidary Stories meets on the third Tuesday of the month at Mixt Food Hall in Mount Rainier at 6:30 pm - come join us!
May 20, 2024 at 4 pm - Ariel Crashes a Train Teen Book Discussion. Our disability-themed book discussion for teens with PGCMLS, which has been held in the virtual space for past three years, met for our final in-person session of 2024, this time at the Hyattsville Branch library where we discussed Olivia Cole's Ariel Crashes a Train. This book discussion series, held since 2022, explores representations of disability in young adult literature - all are welcome to join us.
May 9, 2024 at 2 pm - Social Justice in Community - Roger Isom, Junior presented Physical Activity for Health Literacy Sake.
Social Justice in Community, our series with the University of Maryland and the Prince George's County Memorial Library System, brings human rights scholars into conversation about how their work illuminates human rights struggles around us today and what we can do about those struggles. Roger's fascinating and inspiring (head outside to enjoy the air around you!) presentation marked the last in the series for Spring 2024, but we are bringing it back in the Autumn and hope you'll join us.
May 8, 2024 - Rock Banned Book Club - The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Our Rock Banned Book Club with PGCMLS continued as we discussed The Perks of Being a Wallflower. This series, which debuted in June 2023, considers the top thirteen (top ten but there were some ties!) most-challenged books in 2022, according to the American Library Association.
April 25, 2024 at 2 pm - Social Justice in Community - Layne Amerikaner presented Workplace Inequality Among LGBTQ+ Adults in the COVID Era.
Social Justice in Community, our series with the University of Maryland and the Prince George's County Memorial Library System, brings human rights scholars into conversation about how their work illuminates human rights struggles around us today and what we can do about those struggles.
April 23, 2024 at 7 pm - A Conversation with Chapel Hart. We were joined by the one and only Chapel Hart! This inspiring, energetic conversation, brought to you in partnership with the Prince George's County Memorial Library System and Joe's Movement Emporium, can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqGQoJwRXRE - check out the dynamism and positivity Chapel Hart brought to Prince George's County (and bring to all that they do!)
April 16, 2024 at 6:30 pm - Solidarity Stories - Poverty, by America. Solidary Stories, our community book group with Prince George's County Memorial Library System and Mixt Food Hall continued with an incredible discussion of Matthew Desmond's Poverty, By America. Solidary Stories meets on the third Tuesday of the month at Mixt Food Hall in Mount Rainier at 6:30 pm - come join us!
April 15, 2024 at 4 pm - Brooms Teen Book Discussion. Our disability-themed book discussion for teens with PGCMLS, which has been held in the virtual space for past three years, met for our second in-person session, this time at the Spauldings Branch library where we discussed the graphic novel, Brooms. This book discussion series explores representations of disability in young adult literature - all are welcome to join us.
April 11, 2024 at 2 pm - Social Justice in Community - Tori Justin presented Black Women, Yoga, and Wellness.
April 4, 2024 at 2 pm - Social Justice in Community - Carolyn Robbins presented Abolition is a Human Right.
March 28, 2024 at 2 pm - Social Justice in Community - Danielle Koonce presented Environmental Justice in the Rural South: Research & Community Organizing.
Social Justice in Community, our series with the University of Maryland and the Prince George's County Memorial Library System, brings human rights scholars into conversation about how their work illuminates human rights struggles around us today and what we can do about those struggles.
March 25, 2024 at 7 pm - Women's History Month Special Event! Empowering Voices - Reverend Dr. Liz Theoharis, co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign - A National Call for Moral Revival and Executive Director of the Kairos Center. Watch the inspiring conversation that brings home the power a single person has to make beautiful, meaningful change here. Brought in partnership with PGCMLS and the EEOC.
March 19, 2024 at 6:30 pm - Solidarity Stories - Parable of the Sower. Solidary Stories, our community book group with Prince George's County Memorial Library System and Mixt Food Hall debuted! Honoring Women's History Month, we read and discussed Octavia Butler's frighteningly timely Parable of the Sower. Solidary Stories meets on the third Tuesday of the month at Mixt Food Hall in Mount Rainier at 6:30 pm - come join us!
March 18, 2024 at 4 pm - Chaos Theory Teen Book Discussion. Our disability-themed book discussion for teens with PGCMLS, which has been held in the virtual space for past three years, debuted in-person at the Bowie Branch Library as we discussed Nic Stone's Chaos Theory. This book discussion series explores representations of disability in young adult literature - all are welcome to join us.
March 14, 2024 at 7 pm - The Waves Take You Home. We welcomed María Alejandra Barrios Vélez in conversation about her debut novel The Waves Take You Home. Watch this pre-book launch special event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Uvytev9M_4.
March 14, 2024 at 2 pm - Social Justice in Community - Asiah Gayfield presented Black Women and Prenatal Care.
Social Justice in Community, our series with the University of Maryland and the Prince George's County Memorial Library System, brings human rights scholars into conversation about how their work illuminates human rights struggles around us today and what we can do about those struggles.
March 13, 2024 at 6:30 pm - Rock Banned Book Club - A Court of Mist and Fury. Our Rock Banned Book Club with PGCMLS continued at the New Carrollton Branch Library as we discussed Sarah J Maas's blockbuster A Court of Mist and Fury. The Rock Banned Book Club debuted in June 2023 and runs every month through June 2024, highlighting the top ten (with three ties, so top thirteen) most-challenged books of 2022, according to the American Library Association.
March 11, 2024 at 7 pm - Path to Grace with Ethel Morgan Smith. Our Black History Month special event with Ethel Morgan Smith, rescheduled to March 11th, on her award-winning book Path to Grace: Reimagining the Civil Rights Movement, illuminated lesser-known figures in the civil rights movement and brought to viewers Professor Smith's engaging, insightful voice. Brought in partnership with PGCMLS. See the wonderful conversation we had with her here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPHahhtcpc0
February 22, 2024 at 7 pm - Finding Light in the Darkness Interfaith Conversation. We partnered with Hyattsville Mennonite Church for an interfaith conversation on Finding Light in the Darkness. Featuring guest panelists Rahmah Abdulaleem, Pastor Cindy Lapp, and Rabbi Abbi Sharofsky, the conversation illuminated how the panelists find hope in difficult times and how they find themselves called to be a source of light or hope to others.
February 22, 2024 at 2 pm - Social Justice in Community - Nikita Viswasam presented When Immigration Became Illegal: Race, Labor, and Asian America
Social Justice in Community, our series with the University of Maryland and the Prince George's County Memorial Library System, brings human rights scholars into conversation about how their work illuminates human rights struggles around us today and what we can do about those struggles.
February 15, 2024 at 7 pm. Musical Connections. How did a woman in Massachusetts come to give a more than 100-year-old violin to a police officer living in Prince George's County? Check out our conversation about the connective and healing power of music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=se-svXj4uZg. Brought in partnership with PGCMLS.
February 15, 2024 at 2 pm - Katelyn Foltz presented Football & Concussions: Spouses & Caretaking After the Last Snap
Social Justice in Community, our series with the University of Maryland and the Prince George's County Memorial Library System, brings human rights scholars into conversation about how their work illuminates human rights struggles around us today and what we can do about those struggles.
February 14, 2024 - Rock Banned Book Club - The Bluest Eye Our Rock Banned Book Club with PGCMLS continued in conversation about Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye at the Spauldings Branch Library. The Rock Banned Book Club, running from June 2023 through June 2024, examines the thirteen most challenged books of 2022, according to the American Library Association. Learn more about that conversation here: https://pgcmls.info/event/9710511
February 8, 2024 at 2 pm - Rod Martinez presented Civic and Political Participation Among People with Criminal Legal System Contact
Social Justice in Community, our series with the University of Maryland and the Prince George's County Memorial Library System, brings human rights scholars into conversation about how their work illuminates human rights struggles around us today and what we can do about those struggles.
February 6th, 2024 - Empowering the Game - Khoi Young. We partnered with the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System for a Black History Month special event as we welcomed Khoi Young, a Prince George’s County native who has taken his gymnastic skills to Stanford University and has represented Team USA at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championship. Learn more about his journey, accomplishments, and barriers that he has overcome to get to where he is now! See that conversation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj-9J75Qvgw
February 5th, 2023 - Does Your Zip Code IMpact Your Whole Life? - Redlining and Environmental Justice Black History Month special event! Our Does Your Zip Code Impact Your Whole Life series with PGCMLS continued with a critical conversation about redlining and environmental justice with special guest Dr. Carlton Waterhouse. See that conversation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyZe5AE8IMA
February 5th, 2024 from 10 am to 4 pm - Human Rights Day in Annapolis. We joined our colleagues with the Maryland Association of Human Rights Agencies for Human Rights Day in Annapolis, featuring important conversations about the state of human rights in Maryland and the nation.
February 1, 2024 - Amber Colquhoun presented Through Their Eyes: Examining Affluent Black Intra-Group Attitudes and Their Political Consequences.
Social Justice in Community, our series with the University of Maryland and the Prince George's County Memorial Library System, brings human rights scholars into conversation about how their work illuminates human rights struggles around us today and what we can do about those struggles.
January 13, 2024 - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day We joined Prince George's County Memorial Library System and Prince George's Community College for an in-person, "Embracing Our Humanity: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Discussion" with racial healing expert Dr. Gail Christopher.