Kimberly O'Connor

I’ve had “libraries” scrawled on my list of ideas for posts here for weeks. It’s time to celebrate libraries!

Y’all, libraries are the best. I am always happy when I am in a library. The sheer number of books creates a hush of possibility that sparks my creative energy. In fact, I need to remember that when it’s time for an artist date, all I have to do is go to a library. Have you ever just wandered the children’s section of a library and read some random picture books? They are so full of hope, joy, and pleasure.

I was thinking about libraries because of a “Colorado postcard” I heard on Colorado Public Radio. It was about Sarah Platt Decker, a woman I had never heard of. From Colorado Encyclopedia:

Sarah Platt Decker (1855–1912) was a beloved leader of women, known nationwide for her advocacy of women’s suffrage and social reform. Her influence was instrumental in the 1893 vote that gave Colorado women equal suffrage. She later became the founder and first president of the Woman’s Club of Denver and served as president of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, which evolved under her leadership to become a national platform for women’s issues. In addition to working for social reform, she also championed conservation and successfully pushed for the establishment of Colorado’s Mesa Verde National Park in 1906.

In early 1912, some Coloradans suggested Decker as a candidate for the US Senate, with a few even proposing her as a potential presidential candidate. At a time when only a handful of western states, including Colorado, allowed women the vote, it was extraordinary for a woman to be considered for national political office. She was seen as a strong contender for the Senate nomination, but it was not to be. In July 1912, she was in San Francisco for the General Federation’s biennial convention when she collapsed from an abdominal obstruction. Despite emergency surgery, Decker died two days later at the age of fifty-six.

Isn’t this awesome? Who knew Colorado women could vote years before the 19th amendment was passed?

But what learning about Sarah Platt Decker really made me think of was Decker library in Denver. This library, which I realized is named for her, is one of the most important places in my adult life, particularly in the part of my life where I was mother to a baby. Decker library was where I went to Book Babies right after we moved to Denver with our 10-month-old baby. I was lonely and longed for a friend with a baby that I could hang out with. I made this business card with our names and my phone number that I could give out. Six months or so after starting at Book Babies, I’d made enough friends that we had an almost unmanageably large playgroup. Several of the women I met there are still some of my best soulmate friends today!

I loved learning some history behind the library that was so important in my life.

Now–if you haven’t been to your local library lately, stop by! For those in my neck of the woods, here’s what’s happening at Jeffco and Denver libraries.

Photo by 🇸🇮 Janko Ferlič on Unsplash