The Carnegie Corporation of New York is donating thousands of dollars to libraries across the country, including four in North Carolina. One library hopes to use the grant to foster civic discourse and dialogue.
The group is providing $10,000, no strings attached grants to more than a thousand Carnegie-built libraries across the country to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, one of the recipients, will put on a speaker series to focus on American debates and celebrate disagreement and democracy.
The event will bring together people who don’t necessarily agree on a topic to debate, and local law school students will serve as moderators and fact-checkers.
Jenni Gaisbauer, executive director of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation, said the goal of the program is to foster healthy discourse.
"Our vision for it is to strengthen the civic fabric of our community through respectful conversations that foster learning, understanding and engagement," said Gaisbauer. "The mission of it is to model civic discourse and bridge divides by presenting voices that challenge audiences, viewpoints, spark reflection and build connection."
The speaker series will be in partnership with the Foundation for the Carolinas and Charlotte’s National Public Radio affiliate, WFAE.
Other recipients in North Carolina include the Durham County Library, Henderson County Library and Nantahala Regional Library.
Gaisbauer said libraries are a great venue for discussions of politics and major public issues.
"I think a public library is just the perfect setting, because I think people feel welcomed," said Gaisbauer. "We don't align politically. We are a neutral organization, but we do believe in democracy and we don't believe in censorship. And we believe in the First Amendment."
Over his lifetime, Andrew Carnegie built more than 2,500 libraries across the world. More than 1,600 of those were built in the U.S.
Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Source: Public News Service
