Beyond the Library – Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School Library

“The Librarians”

A new documentary explores how public school librarians are standing up for our rights in the fight against book bans and the rise of fascism.

Librarians emerge as first responders in the fight for democracy and our First Amendment Rights. As they well know, controlling the flow of ideas means control over communities.

“In Texas, the Krause List targets 850 books focused on race and LGBTQia+ stories – triggering sweeping book bans across the U.S. at an unprecedented rate. As tensions escalate, librarians connect the dots from heated school and library board meetings nationwide to lay bare the underpinnings of extremism fueling the censorship efforts. Despite facing harassment, threats, and laws aimed at criminalizing their work – the librarians’ rallying cry for freedom to read is a chilling cautionary tale. ” (thelibrariansfilm.com)

Find out more about the documentary film “The Librarians”

The fight against book bans by public school librarians shown in new documentary. Check out this story from PBS News.

October 5-11 is Banned Books Week
October is Canadian Library Month
October is International School Library Month

International Day of Peace

Peace Day is observed every September 21. The International Day of Peace is a celebration of those who have worked for peace in our, and who continue to seek a peaceful future. However, the day is also a stark reminder of how far we have fallen short of the quest for lasting peace for humanity. Our world continues to be ravaged by war, including, in our current day, some of the most horrific acts of inhumanity imaginable. Learn more about the International Day of Peace and join in the movement.

Learn more:

UN.org/Peaceday

Actions for a Peaceful World

Hear Us

Act Now for a Peaceful World

InternationalDayofPeace.org

School Libraries and Intellectual Freedom

School Libraries should be bastions of intellectual freedom. Tragically, the School Library has always been a battleground in the struggles between those that would protect our rights and freedoms and those that would impose their beliefs on others.

This has become all too evident in the U.S. in recent years, and sadly we in Canada are not immune. Provincial Ministries of Education, School Boards, and individual schools and school libraries have been sucked into the current climate of extreme political polarization. Attacks on the freedom to read are on the rise, and include recent decisions made by the government of Alberta. The following are quotes from the response of Canadian School Libraries:

“Individual parents have the right to decide on their child’s reading, but they do not have the right to impose it on everyone.

The selection and availability of school library and learning resource materials should be made by trained professionals, not politicians and bureaucrats.

Not every book in a school library is meant for every student. Schools need to have a wide range of age and developmentally appropriate resources that cover the needs of the student population.

School library collections, with a richness and diversity that allows students to see themselves and experience lives other than their own, are developed within the lens of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the rights and freedoms it affords to all Canadians, including children.”

Find out more about Canadian School Libraries

Juneteenth

Also known by such names as Freedom Day and Jubilee Day, Juneteenth is a celebration of the end of slavery after the end of the American Civil War.

Juneteenth has grown to be a day that is observed in the US and around the world, as it symbolizes not only the fight against the evil that is slavery, but also the fight against racism in all its forms. Slavery finally came to end in the US in 1865, but racism lies at the heart of so many of the evils that still haunt the United States, Canada, and indeed, humanity. Current issues such as Black Lives Matter, Critical Race Theory, and DEI, are all just part of the ongoing and centuries old struggle against racism.

Find out more about Juneteenth:

Jackie Robinson Day

On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson played his first game for the Brooklyn Dodgers. In doing so, he became the first African-American to play in the major leagues of baseball, breaking the racist colour barriers that shamefully tarnish the history of the great game of baseball.

Jackie Robinson was a wonderfully talented player who earned the praise of fans for his play on the field. He also earned praise for his courage and determination in the face of a racist society that continued to resist the equal participation of non-whites in the game and in the everyday life of the nation. Robinson faced racial taunting and violence on the field, and untold indignities and threats away from the ballpark.

Thankfully his determination led the way for more black players to follow and helped our society move along the long slow path towards changing attitudes, promoting acceptance and tolerance, and the goal of eliminating racism.

Today in all MLB parks, players will wear #42 in honour of Jackie Robinson. However, the current political and social upheaval that is causing so much pain for so many has raised troubling questions as we attempt to honour #42. The actions of the current administration, particularly in its war on diversity, equity and inclusion, have even brought into question, for some, the viability of events like Jackie Robinson Day.

To celebrate the achievements Jackie Robinson, we also need to acknowledge the painful history of racism in America that kept men like Jackie out for so long. We need to acknowledge the racism of America that has continued to place barriers for the full participation of Black Americans in the “Great American Pastime.” Is Major League Baseball fully committed to honouring Jackie Robinson, not just with words but with action? Will Major League Baseball stand up those elements who want to whitewash history and pretend that racism isn’t an issue today?

Jackie Robinson was a great baseball player who was able to show the world how great he was only when baseball began to acknowledge that the racist policies of segregation were wrong. To do that people had to know their history, not just to celebrate the good, but to acknowledge what was bad, and then strive for better. That process didn’t start and end in 1947. We must continue with that process today.

Find out more:

JackieRobinson.org

Jackie Robinson Museum

MLB: Jackie Robinson Day

Jackie Robinson Day: MLB finds itself in crosshairs of DEI purges.

Around the Clock Schooling

Government officials announced this morning that they approved plans for a new schedule for Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary and all schools in the district, effective September 2025. In an effort to maximize the efficient use of space, time and all resources, all schools will be adopting a year long and around the clock schedule.

There will be 3 different groups who will be assigned to one of the following schedules:

Schedule A: Monday to Saturday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Schedule B: Monday to Saturday 5:00 PM to 1:00 AM
Schedule C: Monday to Saturday 1:00 AM to 9:00 AM

Sunday will be reserved for 24 Hour Detention, for students who have been late, absent, misbehaving, not completing homework, using cell phones, or not paying attention during the regular schedule. Students in Detention will be required to clean and maintain the school, as none of that will be done during the regular schedule.

This schedule ensures maximum use of the school building. Assignment for schedules will be based on an auction system, with preferred spots going to the highest bidders.

Anonymous sources have hinted that there will be no human teachers in the buildings during the school day, as all students will be learning via remote connections to AI instructors, but that has yet to be confirmed. Officials did acknowledge that security guards, contracted from local prison populations, would be patrolling the hallways so there will be at least some adults present.

Many observers were quite shocked by the announcement, however it was clear that pressure has been mounting from influential parent groups such as “Moms for Our Kind of Indoctrination” and “Dads for Schools that don’t let Children Mooch Off the Taxpayer.”

March is Irish Heritage Month

March is Irish Heritage Month in Canada. Join with us in Your School Library as we learn more about Ireland, the Irish people, Irish culture, and Irish-Canadians.

Find out more:

2022: The Government of Canada marks the first official Irish Heritage Month in Canada

Irish Heritage Month: The legacies of the Irish in Canada

Celtic Canada Irish Heritage Month

The Canadian Encyclopedia: Irish Canadians

Ramadan Mubarak

The Islamic month of Ramadan has begun . Ramadan is a month of fasting, prayer and other acts for devotion for Muslims. Ramadan Kareem!

We wish Ramadan Mubarak and Ramadan Kareem to the more than one million Canadians who follow Islam, and to our Muslim neighbours around the world.

Find out more about Ramadan:

BBC: Ramadan

CBC News: Ramadan

Muslim Association of Canada

Hank Aaron

Henry “Hank” Aaron was born on this day in 1934. Hank Aaron was one of the greats of the sport of baseball. He was a legendary home run hitter who would also win multiple Gold Gloves. Hank Aaron was a World Series Champion, a National League MVP, and was selected for an incredible 25 All-Star Games. More than that, he was a great human being.

The legendary Muhammad Ali, in his day considered by many to be the world’s most famous, if not greatest, athlete, said of Aaron, that he was the “only man I idolize more than myself.” (Baseball Hall of Fame).

In 1973 Aaron hit his 715th home run to pass the iconic Babe Ruth with the most ever. Aaron was under intense scrutiny as he approached the record, all the more because he was a black man who was about to break the record of a white hero, something that was unacceptable to the white supremacist ethos. Aaron faced intense racism, including death threats against him and his family. Remarkably, even in the face of such despicable conditions, he continued to perform on the field, crushing the all-time record, holding it for more than 30 years. For all who knew him personally, it was not surprising that off the field he continued to live a life of humility, dignity and integrity. Hank Aaron was an outspoken supporter of the Civil Rights movement, and spent his post-playing days working for many humanitarian and philanthropic causes.

Find out more about Hank Aaron:

Baseball Hall of Fame

Hank Aaron’s Legacy…

Civil Rights Walk of Fame

Hank Aaron’s Lasting Impact

Hank Aaron: Home Run Hero

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

January 27 is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Join with us as we take this day to remember the many millions who died during the Holocaust, to learn more about what happened, and resolve to fight against anti-Semitism, racism and other forms of hate and violent oppression.

The term “Holocaust” refers to the period in history in which the Nazi regime of Germany murdered over 6 million Jews, as well as millions of other victims, including Roma, homosexuals, people with physical and mental disabilities, and more. The Nazi persecution of the Jews began in the early 1930’s and reached its most horrific and brutal peak during the period of 1941-1945, as the Nazis adopted as official policy the “Final Solution,” the attempt at completely annihilating the entire Jewish population.

Holocaust RemembranceSource: CC / Sienda — Source: CC / Sienda

The Holocaust is not the only example of genocide in human history. What makes the Holocaust stand out amongst the long and plentiful list of human atrocities and evil? Germany was amongst the most powerful nations of the world and a leader in science, technology, medicine and engineering. The German contributions to art, music, literature and philosophy put German culture at the heart of what we would call Western Civilization. And yet this supposedly civilized people turned their great achievements and progress towards planning and carrying out ruthless genocidal murder with scientific and economic efficiency.

Children selected for extermination
source: wikimedia commons / public domain

The date of January 27 was chosen for this solemn observance as the death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated on January 27, 1945.

Auschwitz Death Camp
source: Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons, License CC-BY-SA 3.0

For more on the Holocaust:

Yad Veshem

US Holocaust Memorial Museum

Jewish Virtual Library

Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre

United Nations / UNESCO

MLK Day

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed on the 3rd Monday of January as a Federal Holiday in the United States. The day is observed in celebration of Dr. King’s birthday, January 15, 1929. In 2025 MLK Day is observed on Monday, January 20.

Martin Luther King Jr. was the leading figure of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950’s and 1960’s in the USA. In life Dr. King was at the forefront of the fight against segregation, discrimination and other forms of racism, especially as entrenched in state and federal law. Tragically assassinated in 1967, the legacy of King has continued to inspire those who fight against racism and other forms of social injustice.

Martin Luther King Jr. was committed to the principles of non-violence. King was convinced that the only way to fight against the hate and violence and injustice of racsim was to counter it with peaceful resistance and non-violent protest. Perhaps more than anything else, this is why Dr. King is a hero to millions of people in the US, in Canada, and around the world.

Image Source: editor Eugenio Hansen, OFS, CC BY-SA 4.0 OTFW, editor Eugenio Hansen, OFS, CC BY-SA 4.0, via wikimedia

Raoul Wallenberg Day

Since 2001, January 15 is Raoul Wallenberg Day in Canada. Mr. Wallenberg was a hero who courageously used his position to save thousands of Jews in Hungary during the Nazi Holocaust. Wallenberg was a Swedish diplomat working in Budapest during the Second World War. Wallenberg, with the help of some colleagues, using Swedish passports, letters of protection, and other diplomatic tools, was able to help thousands of Jews to escape from Hungary and to survive through to the end of the war.

Tragically, Raoul Wallenberg disappeared after the Soviet conquest of Hungary from the Germans in 1945. Some reports suggest he died in a Soviet prison in 1947, but his fate is officially uncertain.

Raoul Wallenberg as a young man. _{(Source: https://www.raoulwallenbergcentre.org)}

Raoul Wallenberg is considered one of the “Righteous Among the Nations” by Yad Vashem in Israel, and was made an Honorary Citizen of Canada in 1985.

Find out more:

In January we recognize Raoul Wallenberg Day in Canada, as well as International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27. Come down to the School Library this month, in person, and continue to visit us online, for more information on the horrific and tragic history of the Holocaust.