The South Branch of the Berkeley Public Library: a group of neighbors would like to see it named after Tarea Hall Pittman, a civil-rights leader who lived in South Berkeley. Photo: Richard Friedman
Update, April 23, 2015: The Board of Trustees of the Berkeley Public Library voted against renaming the South Branch after civil-rights leader Tarea Hall Pittman at its April 22 meeting. (See who is on the Board and listen to a recording of the meeting on the Library’s website.) The leader of the campaign in favor of the idea, Charles Austin, told Berkeleyside reporter Natalie Orenstein he was devastated, and that supporters would protest the decision at the next Berkeley City Council meeting. “Racism is alive in Berkeley,” he said.The South Branch of the Berkeley Public Library was remodeled two years ago, and soon it might be rechristened too.
Original story: On Feb. 10, the city council passed a proposal to rename the library, at 1901 Russell St., after Tarea Hall Pittman, a civil-rights leader who lived in South Berkeley and died in 1991. The Board of Library Trustees (BOLT) will have the final say on whether the change will be made.
Pittman “was just a pillar in the community,” said councilwoman Linda Maio, who sponsored the item. A community petition in support of the name change garnered over 2,000 signatures.(...)
Read the rest of Neighbors petition to rename Berkeley’s South Branch Library after civil-rights leader (837 words)
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Post tags: Berkeley Public Library, Berkeley South Branch library, Charles Austin, Idella Melton, Linda Maio, Sally Hindman, South Berkeley, Tarea Hall Pittman, Willy Phillips