One Book One Beaverton
What if all of Beaverton read the same book?
One Book, One Beaverton, Beaverton City Library’s annual community-wide reading event, is back!
We are thrilled to announce that this year’s title is Just Mercy: a Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson, one of America’s most dedicated civil rights lawyers and social justice activists. Just Mercy is a moving memoir and riveting exposé about our deeply flawed criminal justice system and one man’s fight to defend our country’s most vulnerable and poor.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE (it’s fun and easy!)
- Pick up your free copy of Just Mercy at Beaverton City Library Main or Murray Scholls Branch starting on November 14th, 2020.
- Read the book! Read it twice! Pass it along to someone else to read!
- During the month of January 2021, attend free virtual library programs that explore themes from the book.
- Attend a virtual library book discussion.
- Discuss the book with friends, family, and your community at large.
- Attend the virtual closing keynote event with Bobbin Singh, Executive Director of the Oregon Justice Resource Center on January 30th.
- Feel connected your community!
BOOK GIVEAWAY (while supplies last)
Drop in to our BCL To Go service during open hours and request a free copy of Just Mercy from staff. Also available in limited quantities: Spanish edition and Young Adult edition.
KEY VIRTUAL EVENTClosing Keynote with Bobbin Singh, Executive Director of the Oregon Justice Resource Center SAT JAN 30 | 7 PM Join us for the culminating event of One Book, One Beaverton: an evening with Bobbin Singh, founding Executive Director of Oregon Justice Resource Center. Mr. Singh will share his expertise on many of the issues addressed by Bryan Stevenson in Just Mercy, focusing on the troubling history of mass incarceration and its link with white supremacy and racial subjugation. Question and Answer will follow. This event requires registration. To register, visit www.BeavertonLibrary.org/Register or call 503-644-2197, option 2. Registration opens one month before the event, and you will receive the Zoom link by email prior to the event. |
VIRTUAL EVENTS
PLEASE NOTE: ALL EVENTS REQUIRE REGISTRATION and will be held virtually over Zoom. To register, visit www.BeavertonLibrary.org/Register or call 503-644-2197, option 2. Registration opens one month before the event, and you will receive the Zoom link by email prior to the event.
MON JAN 11 | 6-7 PM: Song Circle: Songs of Social Justice
Celebrate One Book, One Beaverton and Just Mercy with songs of social justice at this special edition of our Song Circle. We will sing and play 9-10 songs together virtually. Chords and lyrics will be provided.
THURS JAN 14 | 6:30-7:30 PM: The Death Penalty in Oregon
Aliza Kaplan, Professor of Law at Lewis and Clark Law School and Director of the Criminal Justice Reform Clinic, will share her expertise about the history of the death penalty in Oregon, recent changes, and the current status of the law.
SAT JAN 16 | 7-8 PM: Mercy Me! True Stories of Justice, Mercy, and Redemption (Told Live!)
Join us for night of true stories told live on a virtual stage, featuring national storytellers Tim Tingle and Chetter Galloway, and local tellers Cynthia Butts and Mike Devenney.
TUES JAN 19 | 6:30-8 PM: Memoir Writing Workshop
Don’t throw away your shot to record history—as participant or witness. Explore how memoir is different from autobiography and nonfiction, learn how selected memoirs, like Just Mercy, have preserved events in history, and write a short description of one of your own "historical moments." Facilitated by Dr. Susan Swartwout, author and founder of Southeast Missouri State University Press.
WED JAN 20 | 6-7:30 PM: Race and Oregon History
Alexis James of Construct the Present will help us explore Oregon’s racially biased history and engage with the community in healing and building bridges. Participants can expect to learn, connect, and speak their truth in a space that is welcoming and rigorous.
SAT JAN 23 | 6-7:30 PM: Working for Change: A Panel of Local Advocates for Justice and Equality
Representatives from local nonprofits working in the area of criminal justice reform will share about the important work they do and ways you can get involved. Featuring the Partnership for Safety and Justice, Women’s Justice Project, Write Around Portland, the Forensic Justice Project, and the Restorative Justice Coalition of Oregon.
WED JAN 27 | 6-7:30 PM: White Allyship
What does it mean to be a white ally? And what does it mean to have the support of white allies as a person of color? What is needed from white people in our communities to focus on the conversation about racism? Facilitator Alexis James will guide participants in exploring their identities, learning how to acknowledge different lived experiences without alienating friends and neighbors, and moving toward action in their own communities. This conversation will set the table for engaging in discussions about racism, white culture, and identity. People of all racial backgrounds and identities are welcome!