Cultural Education

Zimbabwe's beautiful mbira (both music and instrument) has been used for healing, personal meditation, celebrations, and sacred ancestral communication for over 1,000 years. 

Musicians Salani Wamkanganise naGaadza and Erica Azim perform mbira together that will include a performance, discussion and a short period of instruction at the end for those who want to try playing the mbira instrument.

You can learn more about mbira from the Berkeley-based mbira organization here.

Learn about the Lunar New Year in this slideshow and hands-on workshop with Artist Pauline Tsui. Pauline will share stories about the origins of the Lunar New Year, lucky red envelopes, the dragon dance, and zodiac animals. After the talk, participants will receive an introduction to Chinese Brush painting, with flowers and animals. 

Pre-registration is required, please call (510) 981-6270 to reserve a spot!

Haben Girma & Mychal Threets Discuss Disability Stories 

Literacy ambassador Mychal Threets will chat with Haben Girma, author of Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law. Serving up captivating stories sprinkled with humor, their conversation will cover disability rights, mental health, and how to advocate for a barrier-free world. A Q&A will follow, and copies of Haben’s book will be available for purchase during the book signing.

January 29th kicks off the celebration for the Year Of The Snake. Though sometimes called Chinese New Year, this important lunar moment is recognized in many Asian countries including Korea, Vietnam and the Philippines. 

Mary Cassatt (1844–1926) was the most celebrated woman artist of her era and the only American to join the French Impressionist movement. Too often dismissed as a sentimental painter of mothers and children, Cassatt was in fact a bold modernist pioneer and an aesthetically radical painter, pastelist, and printmaker. Her work in every medium is characterized by ceaseless experimentation and change. Smuggling a radical aesthetic program under cover of acceptably “feminine” subject matter, Cassatt produced images of “women’s work” that also testify to the work of the woman who made them.

Join us for an afternoon of short films highlighting Black cowboys, country music, and local lore! We'll be screening several shorts and music videos and discussing the rich history of Black western culture on the Bay Area and that history's impact on California and the world. Expect a light refreshments, beautiful visuals on screen, and a toe-tapping good time!

"Consent Culture: A Journey, not a Destination"

Why does voting even matter?? Can kids really make a difference, even when they can’t vote? 

Break it down with Calling All Future Voters! co-author Laura Atkins and Peter Limata of "Story Time with Mr. Limata" 

Come along to this interactive event where co-author Laura Atkins will share her new picture book, Calling All Future Voters! – co-written with voting rights advocates Edward Hailes, Jr. and Jennifer Lai Peterson. 

Celebrate Hispanic and Latine Heritage Month with Herencia Guantanamera! 

Herencia Guantanamera is bringing the rhythms of Eastern Cuba, with the crossover influence of Haitian culture, to share this rich Afro-Caribbean cultural heritage with Berkeley kids and families.

Come experience the traditions, music, dance, and history of a unique region. You'll love Guantanamera culture. It will make you dance!

All ages welcome.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Berkeley Public Library 

Holidays are approaching and now is a great time to do some genealogy research to share with your family. Ancestry.com is available through the library and this workshop will show you how to make the most out of this powerful resource. All ages welcome! West Branch Community Meeting Room.