Wherever There’s a Fight Comes to County of SLO Public Libraries
Author: Becky Juretic for Library Administration
Date: 1/29/2020 10:03 AM
Showcasing powerful stories of the fight for freedom and equality in California from the Gold Rush to the post-9/11 eras, a new exhibition, Wherever There’s a Fight: A History of Civil Liberties in California, is now open at San Luis Obispo Library on the second floor.
Showcasing powerful stories of the fight for freedom and equality in California from the Gold Rush to the post-9/11 eras, a new exhibition, Wherever There’s a Fight: A History of Civil Liberties in California, is now open at San Luis Obispo Library on the second floor. The traveling exhibition, rich with narrative and photographs, animates the history of civil liberties focusing on the hidden stories of unsung heroes and heroines throughout California who stood up for their rights in the face of social hostility, physical violence, and economic hardship.
Wherever There’s a Fight is part of the California Council for the Humanities’ Searching for Democracy, a thematic program designed to examine the meaning of democracy today. The exhibition is based on the Heydey Books publication Wherever There’s a Fight: How Runaway Slaves, Suffragists, Immigrants, Strikers, and Poets Shaped civil Liberties in California, by Elaine Elinson and Stan Yogi (2009), and is presented by Exhibit Envoy and curated by Elinson and Yogi.
“The interpretive panels pose questions that go to the root of civil liberties,” said Sharon Coronado, Coordinating Librarian Adult Services. “They tell the stories of ordinary people capable of extraordinary acts, who fought violations of their civil liberties in California, reflecting the prejudices and political winds of the times. The narrative explores our Constitutional rights and a history of discrimination. Topics include citizenship, slavery, voting, dissension, education, and censorship.”
Authors Elinson and Yogi will provide a presentation at the SLO Library on Saturday, March 21, 2020 at 2:00 pm to explore central themes of both the exhibit and the book: that civil liberties are essential for democracy; while civil liberties struggles repeat over time, targeted groups change; civil liberties are in perpetual flux; and while the Constitution promises rights, every generation must fight for equality and justice to make them more meaningful.
Exhibition: Wherever There’s a Fight: A History of Civil Liberties in California
Host Organization: County of SLO Public Libraries
Runs: January 26, 2020—March 22, 2020
Gallery Hours: Monday-Thursday 10:00-6:00, Friday-Saturday 10:00-5:00, Sunday 12:00-4:00
Location: 995 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, 93401
Admission: FREE
Contact: Sharon Coronado 805-781-4187
