* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [Press Conference: “New Citywide Reading Program: One Houston, One Book”] [00:00:19] LOOK, LET ME SAY GOOD MORNING, AND IT IS AN HONOR TO BE OVER HERE AT THE, UH, CENTRAL LIBRARY AND OF COURSE, UH, WITH, UH, VICE MAYOR PRO TEM MARTHA CASTEK TATUM AND COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, CAROLYN EVANS CHABA, ALONG WITH ALL OF THESE OTHER, UH, DISTINGUISHED GUESTS AND COUNCIL, COUNCIL MEMBER CO S WHO CHAIRS OUR EDUCATIONAL CHILDREN INITIATIVE COMMITTEE. UH, AND THEN OF COURSE, CHIEF PENA SEEMED LIKE WE'VE BEEN TOGETHER ALL MORNING, UH, TODAY, AND OF COURSE, UH, DIRECTOR, UM, OLIVER KOSKA. SO, UH, IT IS GOOD TO BE WITH EVERYONE. UM, AND THANK YOU FOR JOINING US HERE TODAY AT THE CENTRAL LIBRARY IN DOWNTOWN, IN DOWNTOWN HOUSTON. YOU KNOW, I'M THRILLED TO BE STANDING HERE, UM, WITH ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES AND DISTINGUISHED GUEST, UM, WITH THE, WITH THE LIBRARY ON, WITH A VERY IMPORTANT, UM, INITIATIVE. UH, LET ME ALSO, LET ME ACKNOWLEDGE OUR LOCAL INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORES, UH, THE HELP IN OUR LITERACY EFFORTS, KENDRICK STORIES, BLUE WILLOW WILLOW AND BRAS BOOKSTORE. UM, THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR, FOR YOUR SUPPORT. AS MAYOR OF CITY OF HOUSTON, I'M DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE THE LATEST NEW AND EXCITING INITIATIVE ONE HOUSTON, ONE BOOK, DIVERSE STORIES FOR A DIVERSE CITY, ONE HOUSTON, ONE BOOK, DIVERSE STORIES FOR DIVERSE CITY. ONE HOUSTON. ONE BOOK IS A CITYWIDE READING PROGRAM THAT PROMOTES LITERACY, DIVERSITY, AND COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS, UH, BY ENCOURAGING HOUSTONIANS TO READ AND DISCUSS BOOKS WITH A COMMON THEME. AND I KNOW, UH, LARRY PAYNE WAS LARRY PAYNE. I JUST SAW HIM THERE. HE IS, UH, CERTAINLY CAN IDENTIFY WITH THESE CONVERSATIONS. HE'S HAD MANY OVER, OVER HIS LIFETIME ON THIS SUBJECT. AND THEN, OF COURSE, LECIA GREEN, WHO CHAIRS THE LIBRARY FOUNDATION UNIQUE TO ONE HOUSTON. ONE BOOK IS THAT THE PROGRAM FEATURES THREE BOOKS FOR THREE AGE GROUPS. UH, THIS PROGRAM IS DESIGNED SO EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN HOUSTON CAN PARTICIPATE FROM THE YOUNG TO THE NOT SO YOUNG, FROM THE AVID READER TO THE NEW READER. THERE ARE PRINT AND DIGITAL OPTIONS FOR EVERYONE. YOUNG PEOPLE IN PARTICULAR SEARCH FOR THEMSELVES AND THE NARRATIVES WRITTEN ARE TOLD BY OTHERS. AND WE ALL SHOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY NOT ONLY TO SEE OURSELVES, BUT ALSO TO READ AND LEARN ABOUT DIFFERENT CULTURES AND VARIED EXPERIENCES. AND DON'T YOU THINK WHERE WE ARE IN THIS DAY AND TIME, WE NEED THAT NOW MORE THAN EVER BEFORE. SO I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND THANK THE HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY DIRECTOR, DR. RIO BROWN LAWSON. PLEASE GIVE IT UP TO DR. LAWSON. THANK YOU FOR CREATING THIS, UH, TIMELY PROGRAM TO CELEBRATE HOUSTON. AND I WANT TO COMMEND YOU FOR THE IMPORTANT ONGOING WORK IN CONNECTING COMMUNITIES ACROSS HOUSTON WITH CRITICAL RESOURCES FOR LEARNING THROUGH THE CENTRAL LIBRARY AND THE LIBRARY SIT CITYWIDE NETWORK OF NEIGHBORHOOD LIBRARIES. IF THERE WAS A TIME WHEN WE NEEDED TO FOCUS ON BOOKS THAT TIME IS NOW, AND IF THERE WAS EVER A TIME WHEN THE MOST DIVERSE CITY IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON SHOULD HIGHLIGHT THE IMPORTANCE OF BOOKS THAT TIME IS RIGHT NOW. AND I ALSO WANT TO THANK OF FEDERICO. SO ESNA YADI DIRECTLY DIRECTOR OF THE PROGRAM'S OFFICE FOR ADULT LITERACY FOR THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF ADULT LITERACY SUPPORT AND PARTICIPATION IN ONE HOUSTON. ONE BOOK, GIVE IT UP TO FEDERICO. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT THIS INITIATIVE BE AS INCLUSIVE AS POSSIBLE. WE ARE THRILLED THAT THE MAYOR'S OFFICE FOR ADULT LITERACY IS ENGAGED TO OFFER OPTIONS FOR ADULT READERS AT ALL READING LEVELS. HOUSTON IS THE MOST DIVERSE CITY IN THE NATION, BUT UNFORTUNATELY WE ARE ALSO A CITY WHERE ONE IN THREE ADULTS HAVE LOW LITERACY SKILLS. LITERACY AND DIVERSITY ARE ESPECIALLY CRITICAL FOR OUR CITY. [00:05:01] AND BOTH AND BOTH ISSUES HAVE BEEN STRONG AREAS OF FOCUS THROUGHOUT THIS ADMINISTRATION. SO NOW WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, I'M EXCITED TO SHARE THE FEATURED BOOKS FOR ONE HOUSTON ONE BOOKS, THE FIRST PUNCHING THE AIR, A NOVEL INVERSE FOR TINGS CO-WRITTEN BY YUSEF SALA, ONE OF THE EXONERATED FIVE AND IBY SABOA. SECOND, THE NAME JAR YSU CHARLES BELOVED CHILDREN'S BOOK. AND THIRD, ONCE I WAS YOU, A MEMOIR BY JOURNALIST MARIA AND AOSA. I WANT TO ENCOURAGE ALL HOUSTONIANS TO JOIN THIS PROGRAM TO DISCOVER AND READ DIVERSE STORIES TOGETHER. AND REMEMBER LISTENING TO AN AUDIO BOOK COUNTS TO HMM, HMM . EVERYONE IS WELCOME TO VISIT HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY TO PARTICIPATE IN THE MANY EVENTS THAT WILL TAKE PLACE ALL SUMMER LONG. JOIN IN THE DISCUSSION, SHARE YOUR STORY, HAVE A GOOD TIME, LEARN FROM ONE ANOTHER. AND I KNOW THAT ONE HOUSTON ONE BOOK WILL CONNECT PEOPLE AND STRENGTHEN OUR CITY. AND NOW LET ME INVITE DR. RIO LAWSON, UH, TO THE PODIUM TO SHARE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT ONE HOUSTON ONE BOOK. DR. LAWSON, THANK YOU MAYOR FOR YOUR CONTINUOUS SUPPORT OF THE HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY AND FOR YOUR SUPPORT IN PARTICULAR TO THIS EXCITING CITYWIDE READING PROGRAM. ONE HOUSTON, ONE BOOK, DIVERSE STORIES FOR A DIVERSE CITY. GOOD MORNING, I'M R BROWN LAWSON, AND IT IS MY HONOR TO SERVE AS DIRECTOR OF THE HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY. WE ARE EXTREMELY EXCITED ABOUT TODAY'S LAUNCH OF ONE HOUSTON ONE BOOK BECAUSE NOT ONLY IS HOUSTON CITYWIDE READING PROGRAM UNIQUE, IT IS SIMPLY FABULOUS. THE HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY TEAM HAS BEEN WORKING NONSTOP TO ENSURE THAT OUR GOAL, TO GET THE WHOLE CITY READING AND TO ENGAGE THE RESIDENTS OF HOUSTON, THE NATION'S MOST DIVERSE CITY, OUR GOAL WILL BE ACHIEVED. PLEASE HELP ME THANK THIS TEAM FOR ALL THEIR HARD WORK TO GET US TO THIS DAY UNIQUE TO HOUSTON CITYWIDE READING PROGRAM BECAUSE THEY'RE READING PROGRAMS IN OTHER CITIES, BUT NOT LIKE HOUSTON. OUR PROGRAM, UH, HAS ITS EMPHASIS ON INCLUSION BY ENGAGING ALL THREE AGE GROUPS, CHILDREN'S, TEENS, AND ADULTS, AS WELL AS HOUSTON'S ADULT LEARNING COMMUNITIES. THE THREE ONES USED IN ONE BOOK AWARD-WINNING TITLES THAT WERE REVEALED TODAY BY OUR MAYOR. EACH OF THE FEATURED BOOK FEATURED BOOKS PROVIDE GLIMPSES INTO UNIQUE LIFE EXPERIENCE OF THE AUTHORS, AND THAT WE BELIEVE YOU WILL ENJOY, FIND INTERESTING, AND THAT WILL SPARK COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND CONVERSATIONS ABOUT DIVERSITY. WE ARE ALSO VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE WIDE ARRAY OF ONE HOUSTON ONE BOOK PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES THAT WILL TAKE PLACE AT LIBRARIES ALL OVER THE CITY. A SPECIAL CULMINATING PROGRAM WILL TAKE PLACE IN SEPTEMBER, BUT TODAY WE WANT TO INVITE EVERYONE TO GO GET YOUR BOOKS, YOUR BOOKS OF CHOICE, AND START READING. WE'LL READ ALL OF THEM. THE THREE FEATURED BOOKS ARE IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE FOR YOU TO BORROW FROM THE HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY OR DOWNLOAD USING YOUR MY LINK LIBRARY CARD. OKAY. WHERE YOUR MY LINK LIBRARY COLLEGE. OKAY. EVERYBODY HAS THEM. OKAY, THAT'S GREAT. TO ENCOURAGE A ROBUST COMMUNITY READING EXPERIENCE, THE LIBRARY IS MAKING AVAILABLE THOUSANDS OF PRINT COPIES OF EACH OF THE ONE HOUSTON ONE BOOK TITLES FOR READERS WHO PREFER ELECTRONIC BOOKS OR AUDIO BOOKS. AND THE MAYOR SAY THEY COUNT. WE INVITE YOU TO VISIT THE LIBRARY WEBSITE TO USE ACCESS 360 OR LIBBY. THESE PLATFORMS WILL ALLOW YOU TO ENJOY UNLIMITED DIGITAL CHECKOUTS OF THE NAME JAW AND PUNCHING THE AIR FOR THE DURATION OF THE PROGRAM. THE SPANISH EDITION OF ONCE I WAS YOU IS AVAILABLE IN EVERY FORMAT, PRINT AND [00:10:01] DIGITAL, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, IN ADDITION TO THE ONE HOUSTON ONE BOOK'S GOAL TO ENCOURAGE THE WHOLE CITY TO READ TOGETHER. THE PROGRAM WILL ALSO PROVIDE HOUSTONIANS A WIDE ARRAY OF FREE FAMILY FRIENDLY EVENTS AND ENGAGING PROGRAMS THAT INCLUDE AUTHOR APPEARANCES. OF COURSE, WE ARE INVITING THE AUTHORS TO HOUSTON BOOK CLUBS, COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS, LIBRARY, OPEN HOUSES, STORY TIMES, CRAFT ACTIVITIES, AND BLOCK PARTIES. SO YOU SEE WHY WE ARE SO EXCITED ABOUT ONE HOUSTON ONE BOOK AND WHY WE CAN'T WAIT FOR YOU TO JOIN US. THANK YOU. WOO. IT IS NOW MY PLEASURE TO INTRODUCE THE LIBRARY'S TRUSTED LITERACY PARTNER, FREDRICO ZALES AND DOHERTY, DIRECTOR OF THE MAYOR'S OFFICE FOR ADULT LITERACY, TO TALK ABOUT HIS OFFICE'S ROLE IN ONE HOUSTON ONE LIBRARY, ONE HOUSTON, ONE BOOK. THANK YOU DR. LAWSON. THANK YOU, MAYOR. WHAT AN EXCITING, EXCITING INITIATIVE THIS IS. I AM FEDERICO SALAS IS NOW THE, I AM THE DIRECTOR OF THE MAYOR'S OFFICE FOR ADULT LITERACY, WHICH ADVOCATES FOR ADULT LITERACY AND SPREADS AWARENESS OF THE IMPACT OF LOW LITERACY ON OUR ECONOMY, OUR COMMUNITIES, OUR FAMILY, OUR INDIVIDUALS. ONE THIRD, AS A MAYOR, SAID OF HOUSTON'S ADULTS HAVE LOW LITERACY SKILLS. THIS MEANS THAT ONE THIRD OF OUR NEIGHBORS, COLLEAGUES AND FRIENDS MAY, MAY BE STUCK IN LOW PAYING JOBS, CANNOT SUPPORT THEIR CHILDREN'S EDUCATION AND STRUGGLE WHEN MAKING IMPORTANT DECISIONS REGARDING HEALTHCARE OR FINANCES. BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT WE HAVE AN OFFICE IN HOUSTON THAT IS ADDRESSING THESE ISSUES, AND THE OFFICE IS RECOGNIZED NATIONALLY AS A MODEL FOR HOW CITIES CAN IMPACT LOW LITERACY RATES. THE MAYOR'S OFFICE FOR ADULT LITERACY IS VERY PLEASED TO COLLABORATE WITH HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY ON THE ONE HOUSTON ONE BOOK READING PROGRAM. ONE HOUSTON ONE BOOK IS UNIQUE IN THAT IT IS DESIGNED TO BE INCLUSIVE. ALL LITERACY LEVELS CAN PARTICIPATE. WE WANT THOSE WHO DON'T READ OFTEN, THOSE WHO MAY NEVER HAVE OWNED A BOOK OR WHO MAY NEED LITERACY SUPPORT IN ORDER TO READ, TO JOIN US. THESE ADULTS ARE OUR LEARNERS, AND THEY HAVE EXPERIENCES SUCH AS THE ONES IN THE BOX. THEY WILL READ THEIR STORIES. THE STORIES IN THE BOX REPRESENT OUR LEARNERS' STORIES. WE KNOW SOME, SOME OF THEM MAY NOT BE COMFORTABLE READING IN ENGLISH, SO WE HAVE BOOKS AVAILABLE IN SPANISH. IF READING IS A SKILL YOU ARE WORKING ON, PLEASE JOIN US. YOU WILL DISCOVER MORE THAN YOU COULD IMAGINE BY DISCUSSING THE STORIES WITH FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS AND LEARNING ALONGSIDE YOUR COMMUNITY OF READERS. OUR OFFICE IS INTENTIONAL ABOUT MAKING BOOKS AVAILABLE TO ENGAGE INDIVIDUALS AT DIFFERENT LEVELS OF PROFICIENCY. WITH THAT IN MIND, OUR OFFICE ALONGSIDE LITERACY PROVIDERS HAS SELECTED THREE BOOKS FOR ONE HOUSTON, ONE BOOK FOR ADULTS WHO ARE BUILDING THEIR SKILLS. SO IN ADDITION TO THE BOOKS THAT HAVE BEEN NAMED, WE ALSO SELECTED BOOKS BASED ON THE READABILITY SKILL. THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET BY SANDRA CISNEROS IN ENGLISH IN SPANISH, AND E AUDIO IS AVAILABLE. WE WILL USE THE NAME JAR IN A DIFFERENT WAY. THE NAME JAR IS WRITTEN FOR CHILDREN, BUT WHEN YOU HAVE AN ADULT WITH VERY LOW LITERACY, CHILDREN'S BOOKS WITH A GOOD STORY ARE THINGS THAT YOU CAN USE AND TEACHERS CAN ADAPT TO THE LOW LEVEL READERS. AND FINALLY, FROM FARM WORK TO ASTRONAUT A MEMORY, UH, MEMOIR BY, UH, JOSE HERNANDEZ AND ABIL BILINGUAL, UH, EDITION, PUBLISHED BY HOUSTON'S ION ART PUBLIC PRESS AT UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON IS GOING TO BE AVAILABLE. LASTLY, I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE OUR LEG LEGACY PARTNERS LIKE THE BARBARA BUSH, HOUSTON LITERACY FOUNDATION, AND LITERACY TEXAS WHO MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE. A NUMBER OF LOCAL PARTNERS HAVE JOINED OUR OFFICE FOR THE ONE HOUSTON. ONE BOOK THEY INCLUDE, AND SOME OF THEM ARE RIGHT HERE. THEY INCLUDE [00:15:01] COMMUNITY FAMILY CENTERS, CYPRUS ASSISTANCE MINISTRIES, EAST SIDE UNIVERSITY, MEMORIAL ASSISTANCE MINISTRIES, N HOUSE EDUCATION CENTER, OPEN DOOR MISSION, THE SYSTEM FOR EDUCATION, EMPOWERMENT AND SUCCESS SERVICE, AND WESLEY HOUSE. AND I APPRECIATE YOUR JOINING US TODAY AND YOUR BEING EXCITED TO JOIN YOUR STUDENTS TO THIS GREAT INITIATIVE. I INVITE ALL ADULT LITERACY PROVIDERS, INCLUDING THOSE WHO WORK ON LANGUAGE ISSUES, HEALTH OR FINANCIAL LITERACY, DIGITAL LITERACY, OR EVEN THOSE WHO ARE HELPING ADULTS GET A DIPLOMA TO GET INVOLVED AND GET YOUR LEARNERS INVOLVED IN THIS ONE HOUSTON ONE BOOK INITIATIVE. IT IS AN EXCITING OPPORTUNITY FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON. NOW, OPHELIA WILL HIGHLIGHT ONE, HOUSTON ONE BOOK EVENTS AND HOW THE COMMUNITY CAN PARTICIPATE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK, THANK YOU, FEDERICO. HELLO EVERYONE. I'M OPHELIA GOMEZ. I, I'M PROUD TO SERVE AS A HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY'S DEPUTY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR SYSTEM-WIDE PROGRAMS, AND I'M SO HAPPY TO SHARE WITH YOU AND I'M SORRY IT'S BEHIND YOU GUYS. . SO HAPPY TO SHARE WITH YOU OUR ONE HOUSTON ONE BOOK WEBSITE, WHICH CAN BE FOUND ONLINE@HOUSTONLIBRARY.ORG SLASH OH OB. THE SITE IS THE BEST WAY TO LEARN ABOUT HOUSTON ONE, HOUSTON ONE BOOK PROGRAMS, EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES HAPPENING ALL AROUND HOUSTON, ALL SUMMER LONG AND THROUGH SEPTEMBER. THE SITE FEATURES, VIDEOS AND INFORMATION ABOUT THE AUTHORS, THE BOOKS THAT WE ARE HIGHLIGHTING, DIVERSE STORIES ON THE SITE. WE HAVE A ROBUST CALENDAR OF EVENTS TO HELP THE COMMUNITY PLAN TO ATTEND ONE OF OUR ONE HOUSTON ONE BOOK, AS DR. LAWSON MENTIONED, BLOCK PARTIES, BOOK CLUBS, OPEN HOUSES, READ INS, AUTHOR TALKS, AND SO MUCH MORE. SUMMER IS A BUSY TIME OF YEAR FOR US AT THE HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY. WE ARE SIMULTANEOUSLY HOSTING OUR ANNUAL JOHN P MCGOVERN SUMMER READING PROGRAM. THIS YEAR'S THEME IS ALL TOGETHER NOW, WHICH PLAYS PERFECTLY WITH OUR THEME OF ONE HOUSTON, ONE BOOK, DIVERSE STORIES FOR A DIVERSE CITY. THIS SUMMER, WE ARE HOSTING OVER 500 FREE EDUCATIONAL AND FUN ACTIVITIES AT OUR HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARIES FOR HOUSTONIANS OF ALL AGES. SO WE HOPE YOU WILL JOIN US AND THANK YOU SO MUCH. I'M VERY HAPPY TO TURN IT BACK OVER TO OUR HONORABLE MAYOR, SYLVESTER TURNER. THANK YOU. LEMME THANK OPHELIA AND ALL OF OUR PARTNERS. UH, WHAT AN EXCITING TIME. ONE HOUSTON, ONE BOOK, DIVERSE STORIES FOR A DIVERSE CITY. UM, QUITE APPROPRIATE, UH, FOR THIS DAY AND TIME AND QUITE APPROPRIATE FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON. AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S FREE, UM, HOW DO YOU SAY, FREE IN SPANISH S ROGERS, S IN SPANISH, S IN ENGLISH, FREE , YOU KNOW, UH, LET ME READ AND FREE CITYWIDE, UH, BECAUSE WE WANT EVERYONE TO PARTICIPATE. QUITE FRANKLY, WHEN YOU ARE READING, IT'S A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE AND, UH, IT'S HARD TO CO COMMIT CRIMES AND EVERYTHING WHEN YOU'RE READING. OKAY? SO INSTEAD OF PUTTING A GUN IN PEOPLE'S HAND, PUT A BOOK IN PEOPLE'S HAND, OKAY? THAT BOOK WILL TAKE YOU A LOT FURTHER THAN THAT GUN WILL, OKAY? FOR MANY OF US IN THIS ROOM, IF NOT ALL OF US, BEFORE COM, UH, COMPUTERS CAME INTO PLAY. IT WAS THE BOOK, OKAY? IT WAS THE LIBRARY, IT WAS THE ENCYCLOPEDIA, IT WAS THE BRITANNICA. FOR A PERSON LIKE ME, A KID LIKE ME, I TRAVELED THE GLOBE THROUGH THE ENCYCLOPEDIA AND THE BRITANNICA, AND IT BROUGHT ME TO THIS POINT. SO, UM, AND IT STILL WORKS. UH, SO LET'S, THAT'S WHY I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS INITIATIVE. SO I WANT TO ENCOURAGE Y'ALL, HOUSTONIANS, TO JOIN THE PROGRAM, CONNECT WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS, AND ENCOURAGE LITERACY, DIVERSITY, AND COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS THROUGH READING DISCUSSIONS AND FUN. EVERYONE AT EVERY AGE AND LIFE STAGES CAN PARTICIPATE. I DON'T CARE WHAT YOUR LEVEL OF READING OR COMPREHENSION MAY BE, UH, THERE IS SOMETHING FOR YOU. WE DON'T WANNA LEAVE ANYONE, ANYONE BEHIND. AND HOUSTON IS THE MOST DIVERSE CITY IN THE COUNTRY. SO JOIN THIS PROGRAM AND HELP CELEBRATE, HELP CELEBRATE THAT. LASTLY, WHAT I WILL SAY, IT'S ABOUT READING. AND WE WANT PEOPLE TO READ, YOU KNOW, NOW DURING THE SUMMER AND EVEN AFTERWARDS, BUT EVEN THIS INITIATIVE CAN ENCOURAGE PEOPLE NOT ONLY TO READ, CAN ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO WRITE THEIR OWN BOOKS THEMSELVES. MM-HMM [00:20:01] . AND SO, UH, IF YOU'RE LIKE ME, YOU KNOW, I WISH I HAD MINE READY BEFORE THIS PROGRAM, , YOU KNOW, BUT NONETHELESS, YOU KNOW, UM, WE CAN ALL PARTICIPATE. SO I WANT TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE, UM, IF FOR EXAMPLE, THERE'S NOT A BOOK THAT TELLS YOUR STORY, THEN WRITE YOUR OWN. OKAY? AND THEN ONE DAY WE CAN STAND UP HERE READING YOUR STORY, YOUR BOOK THAT YOU WROTE YOURSELF. SO FINALLY, VISIT YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY, JOIN YOUR NEIGHBORS, AND FIND YOUR POWER IN THESE PUBLIC SPACES. AND I DO WANT TO REITERATE, IF THERE WAS EVER A TIME WHEN WE NEED TO UPLIFT READING AND BOOKS, THAT TIME IS RIGHT NOW, LET'S NOT PUT BOOKS OUT THE LIBRARY. LET'S JUST READ THOSE THAT ARE IN THE LIBRARY. AND IF WE DO THAT, WE'LL DO WELL. SO, AGAIN, THANK YOU EVERYBODY. UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS FROM ANYONE. OKAY, DR. LAWS, I'M GONNA GIVE IT BACK TO YOU. THANK YOU. LET'S GIVE IT UP WHILE MAYOR WOO. AND I WANNA TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK EVERYONE WHO IS STANDING HERE WITH US SUPPORTING THIS FOR ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE, UH, COME OUT TODAY TO SUPPORT THIS INITIATIVE. AND AS I MENTIONED, THE BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY, LIKE RIGHT NOW. SO WITH YOUR LINK CARD, YOU CAN GET COPIES OF THE BOOKS OR YOU COULD GO ONLINE AND DOWNLOAD AN AUDIO, UH, VERSION OF THE BOOK OR UM, AN ELECTRONIC COPY OF THE BOOK. SO WE ARE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE. WE'RE GOOD IF WE DID A GOOD JOB OF TELLING . SO THANK YOU. WHAT'S THE NAME OF THIS INITIATIVE? ONE HOUSTON, ONE BOOK, DIVERSE STORIES, DIVERSE CITY. Y'ALL COULD DO BETTER THAN THAT. DIVERSE STORIES FOR A DIVERSE CITY. THANK YOU, EVERYBODY. GOT IT? * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.