RPL Hosts Nicole Nfonoyim-Hara and the “Still We Rise” Exhibit
Rochester Public Library (RPL) welcomes the community to the Rooted Futures: Stewarding Community History presentation on Sunday, June 14, at 3:00 p.m. to hear about how communities reclaim the stories that shape who they are and who they might become.
In the final presentation of the Still We Rise Speaker Series, Rooted Futures: Stewarding Community History, participants will explore community stories. Drawing on the traditions of the "griot" and the Akan concept of Sankofa — “to go back and retrieve what has been forgotten”, the presentation will explore the vital role of local history, especially local Black history, in building more just and connected futures. Through reflections on memory, storytelling, cultural stewardship, and community-building, the audience is invited to consider history not as static remembrance but as an active practice of resistance, belonging, and democratic care.
The presenter, Nicole "Cole" Nfonoyim-Hara, is the founder and director of Griot Arts, an arts hub centering Black literature and art. She serves as host and associate producer of a weekly civic and cultural affairs show about Rochester, MN on the local PBS network, and co-created the original Still We Rise banner exhibit.
RPL is also home of the latest iteration of the Still We Rise exhibit, which is now run on a digital interactive display located on the 2nd floor of the library. This exhibit was made possible by the people of Minnesota through Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Library Legacy fund, in cooperation with the regional library system, SELCO.
“We're grateful to our presenters, partners at Barbershop and Social Services, and SELCO for their support of the Still We Rise Speaker Series,” says Allison Girres, Librarian at RPL. “They've helped create meaningful opportunities for our community to learn from our shared history and strengthen connections with one another.”
For more information on this presentation or other programs going on at RPL, the community can visit the library’s event calendar at rplmn.org/calendar