Experiencing America Book Club: We Keep Us Safe

What does it mean to live in America now?

What does America look like?

How did we get to be who and where we are?

Let's talk about our lives in America today.

Our book selections, provided by the CT State Library, will be from the Experiencing America collection, made up of adult and young adult books offering perspectives and voices that are intentionally human-centered explorations of identities and systems impacting contemporary America.

In January the group will discuss We Keep Us Safe: Building Secure, Just, and Inclusive Communities by Zach Norris.

"As the effects of aggressive policing and mass incarceration harm historically marginalized communities and tear families apart, how do we define safety? In a time when the most powerful institutions in the United States are embracing the repressive and racist systems that keep many communities struggling and in fear, we need to reimagine what safety means. Community leader and lawyer Zach Norris lays out a radical way to shift the conversation about public safety away from fear and punishment and toward growth and support systems for our families and communities. In order to truly be safe, we are going to have to dismantle our mentality of Us vs. Them. By bridging the divides and building relationships with one another, we can dedicate ourselves to strategic, smart investments—meaning resources directed toward our stability and well-being, like healthcare and housing, education and living-wage jobs. This is where real safety begins. We Keep Us Safe is a blueprint of how to hold people accountable while still holding them in community. The result reinstates full humanity and agency for everyone who has been dehumanized and traumatized, so they can participate fully in life, in society, and in the fabric of our democracy. Join us to engage in this monthly multigenerational book discussion for adults and teens."—beacon.org

Join us to engage in this monthly multigenerational book discussion for adults and teens.

This program is presented in collaboration with the Clinton Human Rights Committee.