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Community Voices

Wide shot of exhibit panels on display in the Santori Library Atrium space.

Your Library, Your Voice!

APLD invites Aurora residents to participate in our Community Voices project and share your story!

Community Voices is a library initiative to provide space for community members to share their individual stories.

The mission of Community Voices is to celebrate diverse experiences, foster connections, cultivate empathy, and nurture a sense of belonging at the library.

We center Community Voices exhibits around heritages or identities that are meaningful for our community.

Next Exhibit: African American Heritage

Accepting submissions February 1 - March 31

If you live in Aurora and identify as African American, please consider sharing your story.

  • Submissions will be accepted February 1 - March 31.

  • The library will collect stories from our African American community, culminating in an exhibit that will be displayed at library locations in June 2025.

Community Voices in Conversation: South Asian Heritage

Thursday, November 14 | 6:30-8 p.m.

FVPD Eola Community Center

555 S. Eola Rd., Room 104

Panelists from our South Asian community, whose stories are showcased in our Community Voices exhibit, will share their Aurora lived experiences in a facilitated discussion. All are welcome!

Through our live, in-person event, we will have the chance to come together and dive deeper into the themes that emerged from the exhibit. Appetizers and refreshments will be served will supplies last.

What is Community Voices?

  • The Aurora Public Library District will periodically invite our community to share their story in coordination with an observance, event, or theme.

  • Participating community members will respond to 3 prompts provided by the library, and library staff will create posters to display at all locations for the designated month.

  • Participants share up to 3 photographs with their submission to illustrate their story and bring life to the exhibit.

Why share your voice?

  • This is YOUR library, and you BELONG here! Claim your space at the library and in your community by sharing your voice.

  • Introduce yourself and your heritage/identity to your neighbors to foster connections in the community.

  • Cultivate empathy and emphasize critical engagement: specific stories from people, communities or neighborhoods make it harder to deny those people their agency, identity, and place in the larger narrative.

As you think about your response, consider what your heritage/identity means to you and how it shows up in your life here in Aurora.

Heritage is the cultural legacy we receive from the past that influences our activities, meanings, and behaviors in the present. Examples include art, food, clothing, legends, music, and values.

Identity refers to our sense of who we are as individuals and as members of social groups. We develop ideas about our identities through our interactions with family and friends, our schools and institutions, the media, and our encounters with other individuals.