Adult Read Woke Challenge

Why Read Woke?

Milton Public Library is participating in the Read Woke Challenge to help the residents of Milton join in the fight to be stronger, more active, and more consistent allies in the fight for racial equality. One way that we learn about the world around them and other cultures is through the social messages found in stories. 

Below are some lists of books available at MPL to get you started on your reading journey. Please note this is not a definitive list. 

If you wish to find your own materials, just a reminder that a Woke Book should be by and about marginalized persons, and must:

- Challenge a social norm;  
- Give voice to the voiceless;
- Provide information about a group that has been disenfranchised;
- Seek to challenge the status quo;
- Have a protagonist from an underrepresented or oppressed group.  

Adult Read Woke Booklists

Upcoming Programs:

REDress Project

The REDress Project was created by artist Jaime Black, and has been featured in hundreds of public spaces throughout Canada and the US. This project brings attention to the thousands of Indigenous women and girls who have disappeared or been murdered across Canada. As noted by the Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, this is an ongoing national emergency.

Red dresses, provided by Grandmother's Voice, are currently on display at all three MPL branches. Empty and still, these red dresses are a haunting reminder of the absence of the women who might have worn them. They will be on display until the end of November.

The Right to Be Cold with Sheila Watt-Cloutier
Thurs Nov 19 @ 8:00 p.m.

The Right to be Cold is climate champion Sheila Watt-Cloutier’s ground-breaking book about climate change, social justice, and the Canadian arctic.

Join us for a recorded conversation created for Halton Region, as Sheila shares stories from her book, and gives personal insight into the impact of climate change in Northern Canada. Learn more about the parallels between safeguarding the Arctic and the survival of Inuit culture.

Click here for free Eventbrite tickets, and for more information, click here. 

Read Woke Film Festival: Indigenous Voices
Sat, Nov 28 @ 2:00 p.m.

Join us for an afternoon of fantastic films featuring Indigenous artists, filmmakers and storytellers. In partnership with the National Film Board of Canada. The program and discussion will take place over Zoom. Register here.

Tareq Hadhad, Founder and CEO of Peace by Chocolate
Thurs, Dec 10 @ 7:00 p.m.

Join us for an evening with Tareq Hadhad, founder and CEO of Peace by Chocolate. Tareq Hadhad was a Syrian refugee and is now living with his entrepreneurial family in Canada's East Coast. His presentation will take you on an emotional journey from Syria to Canada with heartbreaking and perspective shaping stops along the way.

Register here.

Read Woke: Newcomer Voices
Sat, Dec 12 @ 2:00 p.m.

Join us for an afternoon of fantastic films that explore the newcomer experience in Canada, and newcomer voices. In partnership with the National Film Board of Canada. The program and discussion will take place over Zoom. Register here.

How to Complete the Challenge:

The most important thing you need to do is read some Read Woke books (anything that challenges you to think about other people, other places, or situations new to you). Then, to ‘complete’ the challenge and be eligible for the Grand Prize Draws, you will need to earn each badge. To earn a badge, you will:

- Read at least one corresponding book each month

- Tell us something you learned/enjoyed 

- Encourage others to read woke.

 
How To Get Signed Up:

To participate in the challenge, you will need to make sure you have registered for a Beanstack account. If you or someone in your household participated in a Summer Reading Club Challenge, then you already have one. If not, here is how you can get started:

1. Visit your app store to download the Beanstack Tracker App to your smart phone or device, OR visit https://beinspired.beanstack.org to use the browser version.

2. Register yourself for an account. If more than one person in your household is registering for the reading challenge (we have three age groups to choose from), create one account for the whole family and add multiple readers. (TIP: make sure you look for Milton Public Library, Ontario. We’re the one with the bee logo)

3. Select your Read Woke challenge, based on your age.

Read Woke is For Everyone:

Access the children's content here

Access the teen content here

Have questions? Email beanstack@besinspired.ca