*The US Capitol under siege on January 6th*

At a meeting of the BPL Trustees held on January 12th, BPL President David Leonard reflected on the events that took place in Washington a week earlier. Leonard shared with the Trustees the message he had delivered to his staff the evening of the attack, in which he called the insurrection “frightening and disturbing,” and expressed his sincere hope for an immediate end to the violence and for accountability for the perpetrators. Quoting the inscription beneath the cornice on the McKim Building, Leonard highlighted the role of “education of the people as a safeguard of order and liberty.”

Heeding the wisdom of that idea, Leonard introduced Repairing America, a new BPL programming series created by the Library Services team to help bridge the gaps that divide America. The series will include programs and services ranging from a high-profile speaker series and community services to a yearlong reading challenge and several equity related initiatives.

Leonard reported that key themes for the program will include:

· Economic recovery

· Civic engagement and discourse

· COVID-19 recovery

· Racial equity

· Workforce development

· Youth engagement

More detail on the program will be available on BPL.org in the Trustees section when draft minutes of the meeting are posted.