From the Main Library

As we head into the last month of the year, I’ve been thinking about all the centennial anniversaries that were marked in 2019. The Great Migration of African Americans out of the agrarian South and into the industrial North began in 1919. World War I veterans returned home to communities—including Omaha, Charleston, Chicago—that would be shook by race riots. The artistic and cultural explosion that would become known as the Harlem Renaissance began that year. Oakland Tribune columnist Delilah Beasley published her monumental history of African Americans, “The Negro Trail-Blazers of California” in 1919. The 19^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, granting women the right to vote, was approved by Congress.

These events and many others significantly changed our society. They were influenced, among other things, by

• the Progressive Movement that called for social reforms in the workplace;
• the labor movement that looked beyond capitalism to create a more equitable society;
• the early civil rights

Can you guess one of the largest pollutants in the environment?  Clothing!  That's right, clothing and textile industries are the second largest polluters in the world. The vast majority of fabric and textiles can be recycled. The Mending Collective - Leeza Doreian, Liz Harvey, Danielle Wright--will show you how to mend your items by hand using embroidery stitches. Don't get rid of your old, ripped jeans. Even those socks with holes can have a second life with some cool stitches. And you don't have to be a sewing maven!  No sewing machines are used during these community mending circles. Both new and experienced menders will learn how to use simple embroidery stitches in eye-catching but practical ways. Participants will also enjoy stories of ancestors' sewing practices. The Mending Collective invites YOU to share the history of your item to be mended.

The 61st Annual GRAMMY awards are less than a month away. Need to catch up on the biggest hits of the year? Your Oakland Public Library is here to help, with nominated music available on hoopla and at the library.

hoopla is OPL's streaming music service. It also offers streaming video, ebooks, comics, and more — all with no holds ever. To sign up, you just need an email address, your library card number and library PIN. Patrons can check out eight items per month.

This crop of nominees is larger than in previous years: each of the "big four" general categories (Album, Record, and Song of the Year, along with Best New Artist) has expanded from five to eight nominees.

Before the arrival of the Oakland A's, baseball in the town had withered to Little League and play on school yards. The Oakland Oaks franchise had outgrown its ball park in Emeryville by 1957. The team was dismantled and relocated to Vancouver, British Columbia, and rebranded the Vancouver Mounties.

Charles O. Finley, a Chicago-based businessman, who had bought the Kansas City Athletics in 1960, was eager to leave Kansas City after a few short years because he felt the community did not offer the financial support or promotion he thought the team deserved. Major League Baseball officials denied Finley's efforts to relocate the team to a better market and forced him to sign a three-year lease, then a four-year lease. He also had a contentious relationship with the Kansas City press and with fans. 

In 1967 when his lease expired Finley moved the team to Oakland. He listed four reasons for choosing Oakland:

• The Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum sports complex provides the finest facilities
• The Bay Area climate is ideal for baseball
• The