Welcome to the conversation!


Welcome to the conversation!

Harriet Beecher Stowe's (1811-1896) best-selling anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852), made her the most famous American woman of the 19th century and galvanized the abolition movement before the Civil War.

The Stowe Center is a 21st-century museum and program center using Stowe's story to inspire social justice and positive change.

The Salons at Stowe programs are a forum to connect the challenging issues (race, gender and class) that impelled Stowe to write and act with the contemporary face of those same issues. The Salon format is based on a robust level of audience participation, with the explicit goal of promoting civic engagement. Recent topics included: Teaching Acceptance; Is Prison the New Slavery; Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North; Creativity and Change; Race, Gender and Politics Today; How to be an Advocate

This blog will expand the reach of these community conversations to the online audience. Add your posts and comments to keep the conversation going! Commit to action by clicking HERE to stay up to date on Salon and social justice news.

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Sunday, December 7, 2014

Little Free Library Movement


Looking for some positivity to start off the week? Check out young Madison exclaim her love for books as she promotes the "little free library," a community movement designed to increase access to reading materials and promote a love of literacy. The "little free library" is exactly as its name suggests- a network of small containers scattered across the globe that hold books, magazines, and articles for neighbors and community members to share. The libraries exist by the "take a book, return a book" method, much like a traditional library. 

It's hard not to share enthusiasm for the "little free library" after listening to Madison's exuberant monologue. "What would the world be like without books?" Madison so passionately questions towards the end of her speech. Hopefully, with campaigns like the "little free library," no one will have to find out. 



Beyond increasing access to books, are there any other social, political, or economic benefits to the "little free library"? Can other services follow a similar model? What about "little free art galleries" or "little free museums" or even "little free legal clinics?" 

1 comment:

Devon Griy said...

What an incredible child! Such a solid monologue she had going there for a while. The wonderful thing about the "little free library" model is that, in addition to receiving a good/service; patrons also give in the sense that they are leaving a book. Sometimes this in itself is more gratifying than scoring that last book of the Hunger Games trilogy. With that said, I am curious as to how other services, as great as they would be, could follow this model, if there is nothing to give in return. Now, I'm not saying that a payment, whether that be in the form of money, leaving a book, doing some chores, or anything really, is necessary all the time, but I think it is what makes the "little free library" self sustaining. Like Madison said- can't run out of books. I am especially intrigued by "little free legal clinics" however. Maybe legal advice could be exchanged over a nice potluck meal?