Spotlight on Oakland Public Library: ‘Community really needs to celebrate themselves.’
At Oakland Bloom, we believe that food is political expression and healing. Food is culture, and it’s community.
Our community hub in Oakland Chinatown, called Open Test Kitchen, is a place for neighbors to gather and be themselves. If you are anything like us, whenever we invite people over, we all end up crowded and laughing in the kitchen. Over the next few months, we want to introduce you to the partners and collaborators who have brought more people to our kitchen and made it their own.
Xochitl Gavidia is a Senior Librarian with the Oakland Public Library. With Oakland Bloom and Rufi’s Cacao, Xochitl organized Oaxacan mole and chocolate workshops at the library last year. We talked with her about those experiences and how our communities can support multilingual public programming at their local libraries. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Oakland Bloom: Let’s start with the basics. Can you share how the library partners with chefs and small businesses in the city?
Xochitl Gavidia: Most of the organizations we partner with are educational or vocational. I’m an adult librarian and I try to do a few fun programs each year, usually arts, author talks or film screenings. We have a large meeting room in the back of [César Chavaz Library].
During Hispanic Heritage month, we organized a ton of events system wide. In September, Rufi’s did a workshop teaching patrons how to make mole coloradito, Oaxacan red mole. They did it all in Spanish, brought all the equipment and ingredients, and food to eat with the mole. That was our second event together. Before that, we had a workshop with Oaxacan chocolate and made hot chocolate for patrons.
OB: What was that experience like? How do you decide programming for adult patrons?
XG: Rufi’s had a beautiful set up. They talked through the significance of the ingredients and shared the history of Oaxacan chocolate. We have a lot of patrons from Mexico, but not a lot from Oaxaca. We need bilingual programming in Spanish and English. Even if you don’t use English, you can be involved in our programs.
Our community is currently being terrorized. At the beginning of last year, people were scared to come out and to bring their kids. We are surrounded by so many organizations that are helping people with immigration, healthcare, and legal needs, so I don’t try to replicate those types of events. Currently, the community really needs to celebrate themselves and we can’t always be on the defense. We need to see some reflection of our culture and what is special about the community around us. That’s why I planned so much around Hispanic Heritage Month.
We also have information on how to get resources and we hand out red cards. It can be very intense. So, it’s nice to bring something fun. Everyone wants to taste something, especially if it’s chocolate. *laughs* It’s intergenerational, delights the whole family, and can be a really good break from what is going on around us.
OB: Thank you for sharing! One last question, what can people in Oakland and the Bay Area do to support the library?
XG: Come to our programs! Bring your kids. There are so many fun, free resources at the library. We have story times, teen programs, video games, art classes. Backpacks to use to hike and wifi hot spots. You can get your taxes done here for free. The more people who come, the more funds werecieve. Use your library. That’s the best way to support us.