Indy Public Library offers online resources on racism, racial inequality

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Protests and conversations about racism are forcing a lot of people take a deeper look at themselves and the world we live.

Sometimes a book, may help with that.

The Indianapolis Public Library representatives said its books and online resources may help anyone wanting to know a bit more about the complex topics centered around racial inequality and racism.

If you ever wanted to learn anything, chances are you can find it in a book. With continued protests surrounding racism, inequality and police brutality, many people are looking to learn more. The library is helping with that.

“You can do the physical book. You can do the e-book. All of the materials, even the videos, all of those materials really give the public an opportunity to engage in conversations,” said Jessica Moore, the library diversity equity inclusion officer.

Racism has been a national topic, and wait times for popular books on topics of race are long. But for now, the library is eliminating those wait times with the help of a variety of book publishers. On top of that, additional video and movies are also available online. This is in addition to the current Center for Black Literature and culture space at the central library.

“So, what we know, a lot of folks, this is new to them. These are conversations they’ve had historically and so they are engaging in it for the very beginning,” Moore said.

As tension grews across the country, it became clear many people yearned for information. Officials said resources can open the line of communication with people in your community and your children.

“Normalizing our conversations around race and starting to have some dialogue about our institutional history in our collective history as an organization or collective history as a city,” she said.

The library is also seeking input on its strategic plan.