Patchogue-Medford Library: A Place for Dialogue and Healing

In Not In Our Town: Light In the Darkness, the Patchogue-Medford Library plays a pivotal role as a safe haven for the local immigrant community. In Fall 2008, librarian Jean Kaleda and librarian assistant Gilda Ramos learned that people were afraid to attend evening ESL classes at the library for fear of being attacked while walking the streets at night. The librarians were in the process of organizing a public meeting with local officials to address their concerns. A week later, Marcelo Lucero was murdered and the library became a place for healing and dialogue. Spanish-speaking police officers, Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri, and local leaders met with community members to address the concerns of the Latino population in Patchogue. A group of quilters worked in the basement of the library as they stitched "Healing Hands, Mending Hearts," a quilt they later presented to Joselo Lucero, Marcelo's brother.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Patchogue-Medford Library
• Jean Kaleda
• Gilda Ramos
• Not in Our Town
• Light in the Darkness
• immigration
• anti-immigrant violence
• Latinos
• Patchogue
• Suffolk County
• New York
• Marcelo Lucero

[megamuffin15]

I work at PML. It's really weird to see everywhere I work getting filmed. Good library