The Freedom Reads team traveled to Washington D.C. to visit the Planet Word Museum and celebrate our 500th Freedom Library opening. As our team drove down the streets of DC, we realized just how close we were to the Building Museum, where in 2022 we celebrated the building of our first Freedom Library. Back then, 500 Freedom Libraries wasn’t even a dream.
Planet Word, is the brainchild of Ann Friedman, a longtime teacher of reading and writing. She was the perfect person to seize the opportunity to turn the old Franklin School into a museum honoring books.
More than a hundred people came through to celebrate Freedom Reads work and listen to Dwayne read poems from his latest collection Doggerel. As an audience, we wept and we laughed and we marveled at how an idea became the beautiful walnut Freedom Library. The team brought a Freedom Library to the museum for all to see. One of the most beautiful things was at the gathering after the reading. Those in attendance joined the Freedom Reads team and browsed the library, reminding us all that the simple act of communing around the books in the Freedom Library creates joy. What better gift to give people in prison than an opportunity for community
By the end of the evening, one thing was clear - 500 Freedom Libraries is just a start. Join us by supporting Freedom Reads, helping us open our next 500 Freedom Libraries in prison cellblocks across this country.