The Florenz Webbe Maxwell Youth Library will support the next generation of young readers
A name forever associated with dismantling racial segregation, will also now be associated with growing knowledge in a new generation.
The National Youth Library has been renamed the Florenz Webbe Maxwell Youth Library, after one of the last living members of the secret group that spearheaded the 1959 Theatre Boycott.
At the ceremony, Diallo Rabain, Minister for the Cabinet Office & Digital Innovation, said the renaming is about passing a legacy on to the next generation.
Minister Rabain said of Ms Webbe Maxwell, “from a very young age, she was part of a group of 18 young people called the progressive Group, the then-secret organizers of the 1959 theater boycott that helped end racial segregation in Bermuda… she did it because she believed in justice and believed young people deserved better.”
“After fighting for change, she turned her energy to nurturing young minds for nearly 30 years, she led this youth library with heart, creativity and a deep understanding that books could open doors.”
Upon retiring, Ms Webbe Maxwell put pen to paper and published a book of Bermudian folktales.
Her 2017 book, Girlcott, told the semi-fictional story of the theatre boycott from the perspective of a teenage girl, bringing the pivotal moment in Bermuda’s history alive for a new generation.
Retired teacher Shirley Pearman paid tribute to Ms Maxwell and her tenure at the library in the 1970s and 80s.
She also said it all the more important that the social media-besieged youth of today get the literary support they need.
“Today, 21st century readers are bombarded with extraneous influences”, Ms Pearman said, “so it is imperative that they have the support that they deserve.”
“Doing so in this environment, with the knowledge that Mrs. Florenz Webbe Maxwell paved the way for literacy, creativity and cultural acumen will strengthen their experience as well as their resolve.”
