Visit the Jacaranda Library from May 11 through June 24 to experience "Emma Lazarus: Voice of Liberty, Voice of Conscience," a touring exhibit honoring the work of the artist, poet and activist whose words "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free...” welcomed generations of immigrants to America. And join us for these free events! (Click the event date for more information from our online events calendar.) June 1 – Film “God Grew Tired of Us,” a documentary of three boys from the Sudan who rebuild their lives in America. June 2 - The Voices of Venice present poetry on the subject of Emma Lazarus, The Statue of Liberty, Freedom, and Immigration. June 8 – Film “Avalon,” a generational story of a family of immigrants who build a life in the small American town of Avalon. June 11 - Bernadette Storck, the history of libraries and immigration. June 22 - “Emma Lazarus, A Mighty Woman with a Torch”, a panel discussion featuring: Durand Adams, retired 12th circuit judge and filmmaker; Rob Fottler, American History educator, Cardinal Mooney High School; Marty Haberer, Associate Executive Director, Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee; and Dr. Jane Rose, Dean and Associate Professor of English, USF/Sarasota For more information, contact the Sarasota County Call Center at 941-861-5000.     April 6, 2011: Jacaranda Public Library selected to host Emma Lazarus exhibit Emma Lazarus, engraving by T. Johnson, from photograph by W. Kurtz for Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine. Collection of The New-York Historical Society, Negative #58130 Jacaranda Library is one of 18 sites from across the country to be selected to host “Emma Lazarus: Voice of Liberty, Voice of Conscience,” May 11 to June 24. The traveling exhibition showcases the life of the woman who wrote the words that appear at the base of the Statue of Liberty. The exhibit is composed of informative panels featuring photographic reproductions of historical images and original works by Lazarus, including “1492,” “The Creation of Man” and “The New Colossus.” The traveling exhibit is an exploration of Lazarus’s accomplished poetry and her secular Jewish life devoted to social activism. The exhibit will be complemented with a film series on the immigrant experience, a display of local artwork related to exhibit themes, an Emma Lazarus poetry night and lectures. “We are delighted to have been selected as a site for this exhibition,” said Greg Carlson, manager of Jacaranda Public Library. “We have plans for a number of events during the exhibit that will explore Emma Lazarus’s passion for justice, advocacy for the dispossessed and contributions to our literary heritage.” Emma Lazarus was a fourth-generation American from a prominent Jewish family in New York City. She is known for the iconic words of her 1883 poem, “The New Colossus,” engraved on a plaque at the Statue of Liberty. Perhaps the most famous part of her poem is “. . .Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free ...” In addition to her new, progressive work as a poet, Lazarus was a tireless advocate for justice and championed her most cherished causes: denouncing anti-Semitism, promoting Zionism and training and educating refugees. “Emma Lazarus: Voice of Liberty, Voice of Conscience” was developed by Nextbook Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Jewish literature, culture and ideas, and the American Library Association Public Programs Office. The national tour of the exhibit has been made possible by grants from the Charles H. Revson Foundation, the Righteous Persons Foundation, the David Berg Foundation and an anonymous donor, with additional support from “Tablet,” a daily online magazine of Jewish news, ideas and culture. “Emma Lazarus” is also a book by Esther Schor, published as part of the Jewish Encounters series by Nextbook/Schocken. For more information, contact the Sarasota County Call Center at 941-861-5000.