MILWAUKEE — Santa Claus comes down your chimney to deliver presents, the Easter Bunny leaves chocolate eggs around your house, and Barby The Book Fairy fills little free libraries across Milwaukee.
Well, that's how she got her start. Then her initiative grew. And grew. And grew. Now, Barby The Book Fairy is about to host her 5th annual Milwaukee's Biggest Free Library event at Kosciuszko Community Center Aug. 28 from 4 p.m. - 7 p.m.
"It's an act of solidarity to be able to come together and play my part in making my community strong," Barbara Cerda, who goes by the nickname of Barby The Book Fairy, said.
Since 2020, Cerda has focused on donating books to little free libraries by BIPOC authors, with an emphasis on Latino authors. She has donated tens of thousands of books, of all kinds, since she started.
Watch the story on Barby The Book Fairy to see the books she will be donating...
“Well, we have to think about the people that are in our neighborhood and what our city is made of, and there’s no use in giving them books that they’re not going to find interesting, or they’re not telling their story," Cerda said.
The 5th annual Milwaukee's Biggest Free Library will also feature social service vendors, job resources, cultural performances, soccer programming, and more. It’s a long way from where she started in 2020.
I met Barby the Book Fairy in 2020 when she was walking around the Lincoln Village neighborhood filling Little Free Libraries. I met her again in 2021 as her mission grew. The book donations increased to the point where her garage was overflowing with literature. That's when her sister suggested she host a book giveaway day at Kosciuszko Park. They gave away about 300 books in 2021. This year, they are hoping to donate 3,000.
“I think that being able to blend culture and literacy and community and just, you know, you can tell this is something that our community has needed, but it’s also an act of love," Cerda said.
She has been partnering with Literacy Services of Wisconsin since 2022. The organization focuses on adult literacy and education programs.
“And so when we increase literacy, we increase access to education. When education is a priority, knowledge is also, therefore, the outcome, and knowledge is power," Holly McCoy-Perez, the Executive Director of Literacy Services of Wisconsin, said.
The organization has been able to augment the annual book giveaway by providing logistical resources, volunteers, book storage, and more.
"There was natural alignment just around our shared values and making sure that both education and literacy materials are free and accessible. When I heard that she was doing this event, I said this really mirrors a similar event that we used to do decades ago. And I wanted to figure out a way to honor that foundational history of the organization, while also honoring Barbara's really unique idea to bring that event to Milwaukee," McCoy-Perez said.
Barby The Book Fairy, the book delivery expert, has donated tens of thousands of books. She’s not slowing down anytime soon.
“So I’m doing my part as a community member of Milwaukee, South Side, of a daughter of Milwaukee, and also hope to leave a legacy of community service," Cerda said.
This year’s Milwaukee’s Biggest Free Library will be the biggest yet, and it will only grow each year.
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