Read Woke

What is #woke? It refers to being aware of racial and social injustice in one’s community and a new display on College Library’s 3rd floor brings together both fiction and non-fiction books, including popular and scholarly titles, that raise awareness of contemporary issues.

According to Cicely Lewis, the librarian who started the movement, “Read Woke is a feeling, a form of education, a call to action. It means arming yourself with knowledge to better protect your rights. It’s learning about others so you treat people with respect and dignity, no matter their religion, race, creed, or color.” Cicely’s efforts inspired College Library’s summer practicum student, Minda Maurer, to delve deep within all of the holdings of College Library to find titles which embody this ethos.

Minda was guided by the principle that “Read Woke” books challenge a social norm, give voice to the voiceless, provide information about a group that has been disenfranchised, seek to challenge the status quo, or have a protagonist from an underrepresented or oppressed group.

Join the movement and #readwoke.