On Thursday, February 24, 2022, the Belmont Public Library, Belmont Human Rights Commission, Beech Street Center, Town of Belmont, Belmont Against Racism, Ashland Public Library, Lincoln Public Library, Morrill Memorial Library, and Wayland Free Public Library are honored to co-sponsor a racial equity conversation with Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon Martin’s mother.

Ms. Fulton is dedicating her life to transforming family tragedy into social change. Since the death of her 17 year old son, Trayvon Martin, during a violent confrontation in 2012, Fulton has become an inspiring spokesperson for parents and concerned citizens across the country. Her book co-authored with Tracy Martin, Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin, shares the intimate story of a tragically foreshortened life and the rise of a movement that awoke a nation’s conscience.

The publicity surrounding Trayvon’s death and the ensuing trial catapulted the country into national debate. Despite the intense struggle of losing a child, Fulton has become a role model to many by turning her grief into advocacy. Remaining strong throughout the trial and ensuing months, she lends her voice to speak against violence towards children and the need to build better, safer communities for all.

Her message not only appeals to people’s hearts as it relates to children, but is also one of hope and change, exemplified by her personal experiences and endeavors. As a mother, she inspires audiences to continuously educate their children about civil rights and to help them feel accepted as part of an ever changing society. An honest and relatable speaker, Fulton always looks forward sharing her powerful message with everyone from colleges and legal professionals to community and family organizations, and all other proponents of social justice.

A Miami native, Fulton graduated from Florida Memorial University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in English. A proud mother, Fulton worked for the Miami-Dade County Housing Development Agency for over 25 years, and is a member of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church of Miami Gardens.

Registration is required: please fill out the form here to sign up, or call 617-993-2977 to register. Zoom access details will be sent in a reminder email prior to the program.

Join us for this live, in-person author talk with the enthralling local legend Ted Reinstein as he discusses his new book, Before Brooklyn: The Unsung Heroes Who Helped Break Baseball’s Color Barrier. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, please register here for the event.

In April of 1945, exactly two years before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in major league baseball, liberal Boston City Councilman Izzy Muchnick persuaded the Red Sox to try out three black players in return for a favorable vote to allow the team to play on Sundays. The Red Sox got the councilman’s much-needed vote, but the tryout was a sham; the three players would get no closer to the major leagues. It was a lost battle in a war that was ultimately won by Robinson in 1947. This book tells the story of the little-known heroes who fought segregation in baseball, from communist newspaper reporters to the Pullman car porters who saw to it that black newspapers espousing integration in professional sports reached the homes of blacks throughout the country. It also reminds us that the first black player in professional baseball was not Jackie Robinson but Moses Fleetwood Walker in 1884, and that for a time integrated teams were not that unusual. And then, as segregation throughout the country hardened, the exclusion of blacks in baseball quietly became the norm, and the battle for integration began anew.

Ted Reinstein has been a reporter for “Chronicle,” WCVB-TV/Boston’s award-winning—and America’s longest-running, locally-produced— nightly news magazine since 1997. In addition, he has been a contributor for the station’s political roundtable show and sits on WCVB’s editorial board. He lives just west of Boston with his wife and two daughters. He is also the author of New England Notebook (Globe, 2013) and Wicked Pissed (Globe, 2016).

The Friends of the Belmont Public Library is delighted to bring to Belmont critically acclaimed author Sanjena Sathian to speak on her breakout novel, Gold Diggers, on Wednesday, January 12 at 7:30pm. A magical realist coming-of-age story, Gold Diggers skewers the model minority myth to tell a hilarious and moving story about immigrant identity, community, and the underside of ambition.

Sanjena Sathian is the author of GOLD DIGGERS (Penguin Press, April 2021), which was  named a Top 10 Best Book of 2021 by the Washington Post, longlisted for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize and India’s Tata Literature First Novel Prize, chosen as an Amazon Best of 2021 pick, a Good Morning America Buzz pick, and more. She is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop,  and is currently working on the television adaptation of Gold Diggers with Mindy Kaling’s production company, Kaling International.

Registration is required; please register here. Zoom information will be sent in your registration confirmation.  Thanks to the Friends of the Belmont Public Library for making this author series possible.