The Eugene/Springfield NAACP honored the National John Lewis Day of Action on Thursday with a press conference announcing the opening of a new community space and free library.
The Clear Lake Community Center in Bethel, previously Clear Lake Elementary School, will house several local organizations including the NAACP, Boys and Girls Club, Preschool Promise, Food for Lane County, H.O.N.E.Y., and Nurturely.
The center will also be home to the NAACP’s brand new “Good Trouble” K-12 free library.
Drae Charles, Executive Director of the Eugene/Springfield NAACP branch, said the driving factor behind creating the library is providing youth with easily accessible, credible information.
“We want to be engaged in the community and provide those education and resources so folks can make educated decisions,” said Charles. “There's no barriers, no restrictions for them to access information. And it's vetted and verified information, which is rare in the day of the internet era.”
The press conference also marked the beginning of a book drive for the Good Trouble library and a fundraising drive for the Eugene/Springfield NAACP. Monetary donations will be distributed to local mutual-aid networks and help the NAACP offer support to various community members.
NAACP board members encouraged attendees to donate new, old, and banned books.
Good Trouble Lives On, or the John Lewis Day of Action, is rooted in the words of late Congressman John Lewis, who encouraged Americans to “get in good trouble, necessary trouble” to make meaningful change. The quote also inspired the library's name.
“We wanted to find ways to both honor [John Lewis’] legacy, but do it in a way that really meets our community needs,” Charles said. “Community need here is centered around education and providing those resources. Particularly, as we see hate and bias and discrimination are extremely prevalent in our school systems here.”
The NAACP’s book and fundraising drive will continue through Aug. 28.
The new Clear Lake Community Center is located at 4646 Barger Dr., Eugene.
