Mary Finley & Marcie Eanes Memorial Black History Month Read-In held Feb. 29 in person

RACINE— For the first time in four years, the Mary Finley & Marcie Eanes Memorial Black History Month Read-In will be held in person. The Racine Public Library, in collaboration with Racine Women for Racial Justice, Find the Light Books, the Black Arts Council of Racine and the BONK! Arts and Culture series is excited to invite the community to the Read-In on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, from 6-7:30 p.m., at 75 7th Street in the library’s second-floor Community Room.

“Let’s turn the pages of history with laughter, joy and a celebration of Black excellence,” says JaVonna Lue, Read-In committee member. “Our read-in is not just about books; it’s about dancing through the chapters of culture, singing the songs of resilience, and painting the vibrant hues of African American heritage. Join us for a literary journey where every story is a spark igniting curiosity, empathy and endless possibilities.”

2024 marks the ninth annual iteration of this event, a tradition born to celebrate the vibrant legacy of Black contributions to world literature. Throughout the evening, fifteen community leaders from different backgrounds will each read a five-minute piece or excerpt of writing by someone from the Black diaspora. Authors may be contemporary or historical, but Racine’s twist on the Read-In is that no author may be read more than once throughout the evening. Because the event was designed to highlight Black writers’ breadth of literary works, this practice has been in place since the event’s founding in 2016.

Black History Month Read-In

The Read-In’s namesakes, Mary Finley and Marcie Eanes, were two prominent Racinians who inspired both the Racine community and the national literary community—Finley as an ambassador and literary agent, and Eanes as a writer and supporter of the arts. They passed in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Shortly before Finley’s death, she was chosen as one of the finalists for the Racine Poet Laureate. The Library, Find the Light, Racine Women for Racial Justice, the Black Arts Council and BONK! are honored to celebrate Finley and Eanes’ legacies as leaders of Racine’s Black and literary communities.

This event was made possible thanks to the support of the Osborne and Scekic Family Foundation, the Friends of the Racine Public Library, the Racine Arts Council, the Racine Community Foundation, Olde Madrid and Olympia Brown Universalist Unitarian Church.

About the Racine Public Library

The Racine Public Library’s mission is to lift up the lives of the people of the Racine community by embracing community diversity, promoting inclusion, creating opportunity and by supporting the development of community literacy through a love of literature, learning and civic engagement. Located on the beautiful shores of Lake Michigan, the library first opened its doors in 1897 and has served the community from its 75th Street location since 1958.