Virtual program series engage in subjects that shape and confront us daily.
By Rabinder Singh, Adult Programming Services Assistant
In an effort to help promote exploration of and conversation about compelling and current topics, FCPL introduced the Great Discussions series in September 2020.
A Giant Awakes™
A Giant Awakes™: Understanding China in the Modern World kicked off these virtual dialogues. This series of five lectures put in context China’s emergence as a major world power in relation to America. Presenter Jim Levey not only offered an insight into Chinese history and culture but also wove an intricate path to China’s ascendancy in the world.
Participants expressed their enjoyment of the new programming and the series’ content. “I gained insights into the culture and functioning of an incredible country,” shared one of them. “Every week I was excited for Friday to come and to listen to [Mr. Levey’s] presentation. I can´t believe I got this class for free. [It provided] great information … thank you Fairfax County Public Library. [It was] a bright spot in my life, and I will miss this class.”
Slavery and the American Revolution
The next series was Slavery and the American Revolution. Dr. Richard Bell, associate professor in history at the University of Maryland, explored the American Revolution from the unfamiliar perspective of enslaved and free African Americans. His four lectures provided a historical context for racism and a rare insight into the complex legacies of our society’s past.
Participants found this series insightful. “I had been reading about this period in our history, and these lectures reinforced what I was learning,” explained one attendee. “I come from a long line of free Blacks in Philadelphia as well as on the eastern shore of Virginia. Some of the information in the lectures conformed to our family history. It was interesting to learn more about the fact that slavery was rather common in the North before and after the Revolution. I think most people don’t realize that fact.”
Coming Up Next
Join our Great Discussions! Thursdays in March we have been exploring religion, spiritual traditions and more by engaging in conversations about Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and Jainism to promote better understanding of diverse cultures in the community. The final event in this series, Jainism and Its Relevance in Modern Day, takes place Thursday, March 25, at 7 p.m. Click here to learn more and register.
Tuesdays in April will host a Women and the American Revolution lecture series examining the varied roles of women like: Jane Mecom, sister of Benjamin Franklin; Deborah Sampson, the 21-year-old weaver who disguised herself as a man to serve in George Washington’s Continental Army; and Molly Brant, the Mohawk woman who spent the war trying to hold together the fragile military alliance between the Iroquois League and the British Army. The series will conclude with a lecture following the story of the American Revolution into the early republic, using the life of Maine midwife Martha Ballard to understand how women’s lives changed — and stayed the same — after the patriots won the war.