Time can be the friend or the enemy of grief. We often hear that time will heal and that all things will pass. I wondered if that is true as I walked through the Uvalde Memorial at the town's main plaza. It seemed that time stood still for those who came to pay respects that afternoon in 102-degree Texas summer weather. Everyone, including me, moved slowly and emotionally among the 21 crosses with names and tributes to the murdered students and teachers of Robb Elementary. Many who brought flowers and stuffed animals to the memorial that afternoon came from other places. My drive to Uvalde from San Antonio took less than two hours. The return trip seemed to be so much longer.
As I think about your reflections and the work that you're doing, you're reminding us all of the importance of libraries at a time when so many are in need of life lines for survival. In contrast, I can see through this example of Uvalde how they can and be not only front and center, but also part of any school's redesign perhaps through library-school partnerships where the public world of the library becomes a safe and imaginative haven for all children, especially those enduring serious trauma as we are witnessing in Uvalde. I just posted this piece to my blog: texasedequity.blogspot.com
Ricardo,
As I think about your reflections and the work that you're doing, you're reminding us all of the importance of libraries at a time when so many are in need of life lines for survival. In contrast, I can see through this example of Uvalde how they can and be not only front and center, but also part of any school's redesign perhaps through library-school partnerships where the public world of the library becomes a safe and imaginative haven for all children, especially those enduring serious trauma as we are witnessing in Uvalde. I just posted this piece to my blog: texasedequity.blogspot.com
Thank you for your leadership and writings.
Angela Valenzuela