Exhibition:  January 15 – March 20, 2005
Main Library, Lower Level, Jewett Gallery and Sixth Floor, Skylight Gallery
100 Larkin Street (at Grove)

Dawn Fast Horse's home was defaced by racist graffiti. Billings Gazette, copyright ©1993.

Choosing to Participate, a national initiative of the educational non-profit Facing History and Ourselves, celebrates the power of individuals to make a positive difference in their community, nation and world. The centerpiece of Choosing to Participate is an interactive multi-media exhibition in Skylight Gallery highlighting three compelling stories in our nation’s recent history. Little Things are Big tells of a decision made on a late night subway ride in New York City in the 1950s. Crisis in Little Rock, Arkansas, describes the way people in the community responded to the integration of Central High School in 1957. Not In Our Town examines how citizens in Billings, Montana came together to combat a series of hate crimes in 1993. These stories deepen our understanding of democracy, challenge our thinking about the consequence of our relationships with both friends and strangers, and spark creative approaches to membership in a democracy.
Two local companion exhibitions are on display in the Jewett Gallery: a student art exhibition called pARTicipation: Visions and Voices of Bay Area Students, and Bay Area Portraits: Everyday Acts of Courage, a photography exhibition celebrating local people who make a difference in our communities everyday.

Hazel Bryan screams at Elizabeth Eckford, one of the “Little Rock Nine” outside Central High School, Little Rock, AR 1957. Copyright date: 1957. Photographer: Will Counts

Related Programs

• Saturday, January 15, 2005
  Choosing to Participate: Facing History and Ourselves Opening Day - Join us for the opening day! A program in the morning will honor the students whose works are featured in the pARTicipation: Visions and Voices of Bay Area Students exhibition as well as community members whose stories of courage and compassion are told in the exhibition Bay Area Portraits: Everyday Acts of Courage. Special tours will be available throughout the day.
  Koret Auditorium, Main Library, Lower level, 10:30 a.m.,
  100 Larkin Street (at Grove)
  
• Tuesday, February 1, 2005
  Rage is Not a 1-Day Thing! - Utilizing drama, oral history and music Awele Makeba explores the contributions of three individuals who worked with Rosa Parks to spark the Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped end legal segregation in the U.S. The performance will be followed by a discussion with Makeba.
  Koret Auditorium, Main Library, Lower Level, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
  100 Larkin Street (at Grove)
• Thursday, February 17
  Becoming American: The Chinese Experience - Bill Moyers’ documentary, Becoming American: The Chinese Experience, examines the challenges faced by Chinese Americans from the early 1800s to the present. It raises questions about the tensions between race, democracy, and citizenship. Join us to explore parallels between the Chinese experience and those of other newcomers to the U.S., and to examine the history of the Chinese-American community in the San Francisco Bay Area. Participants will view portions of the film and receive a copy of Facing History’s companion study guide. The program includes a special lecture, “Facing History in a Different Mirror,” by Professor Ron Takaki, a professor of Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley and a preeminent scholar of multicultural history and diversity. Co-hosted with KQED. Location: KQED, 2601 Mariposa Street, San Francisco.
  Teacher Workshop 4:30 – 6:30 pm; Community Event 7:00 – 9:00 pm
  Co-hosted with KQED.
  Note: This event is being held at KQED, 2601 Mariposa Street, San Francisco
• Tuesday, March 1, 2005
  Not in Our Town Northern California: When Hate Happens Here - Join us for an introduction to a new documentary, Not in Our Town Northern California: When Hate Happens Here. This documentary examines the negative effects of intolerance and explores five stories of communities in Northern California who have found creative and effective ways to fight hate. The Library’s Reversing Vandalism exhibition is one of the featured stories. A discussion moderated by KQED's Belva Davis will follow, with featured guests Rabbi Brad Bloom, B'nai Israel Synagogue, Sacramento; Milanda Moore, San Francisco Police Department Hate Crimes Unit; Patrice O'Neill, The Working Group; Pat Skillen, Not in Newark; and Jim Van Buskirk, James C. Hormel Gay and Lesbian Center, San Francisco Public Library. Co-sponsored by KQED and The Working Group.
  Koret Auditorium, Main Library, Lower Level, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
  100 Larkin Street (at Grove)
• Saturday, March 19
  Youth Choosing to Participate - How do today’s youth engage in their community? How do they express themselves and work towards social change? What challenges do they face? What is their vision of a better world? Join us for an afternoon forum to celebrate and learn from youth who are involved throughout the Bay Area. Come listen to their stories, hear their ideas, see their art and learn from their wisdom.
  Koret Auditorium, Main Library, Lower level, 1-5 p.m.
  100 Larkin Street (at Grove)

FEBRUARY VIDEO SERIES
Large Screen Videos in the Koret Auditorium (Thursdays at Noon)
This Month's Theme: Facing History
in conjunction with Choosing to Participate: Facing History and Ourselves

• February 3, Thursday
  Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin (2002)
• February 10, Thursday
  The Lost Boys of Sudan (2003)
• February 17, Thursday
  From Swastika to Jim Crow (1999)
• February 24, Thursday
  The ACLU: A History (1997)

Photo of Jesus Colón

All programs at the Library are free.

Tours:
Guided tours are available for school groups, corporate groups, community organizations and small groups of any kind on a daily basis.
Please call 510-786-2500 x228 to schedule a tour.
For more information, visit www.facinghistory.org/choosing

Selected Bibliography of Choosing to Participate Resources

JPMorgan Chase is the Lead Bay Area Sponsor for this exhibition. Vivendi Universal is the Lead National Sponsor for Choosing to Participate. Additional support is provided by AMD, The California Endowment, Friends of the San Francisco Public Library, The John & Marcia Goldman Foundation, Lisa & Douglas Goldman Fund, Walter & Elise Haas Fund, The Hellman Family, Nancy & Daniel S. Katz, Marshalls, Sarlo Foundation and The Ricky and Andrew J. Shechtel Philanthropic Fund. Facing History and Ourselves is grateful to Warren and Chris Hellman and Dr. Arlene Ackerman for serving as Honorary Chairs for Choosing to Participate.