Mothers, Libraries, & Data Centers: A Tale of Two Futures

Happy Mother’s Day to all the community moms – especially those who’ve been showing up, speaking out, and making space in their lives to defend Samuels Public Library. Thank you for standing up for community, inclusion, and for being the example this county needs.

I also want to thank my own mom – a retired teacher who taught me how to read as a kid and did the same for a generation of students as a reading specialist. She and I are both advocating to protect the library, partly because of the gift and resource Samuels was to us when I was young. While she was studying for her teaching degree, I perused the shelves musingly and made so many discoveries in the world of books, exploring as many topics as I could, page by page.

Thank you to Board of Supervisor candidates Tony Carter and Hugh Henry for pledging to advocate for Samuels Public Library when elected.

Recently, the attention throughout the community has been dominated by concerns about data centers. There are significant concerns associated with these facilities, and I share the skepticism and apprehension many others have – even with people I don’t often align with. This is one area where we can all agree on the need for responsible and thorough scrutiny.

While data centers are something we’ll need to reckon with in Warren County, I worry that the focus they’re getting right now is pulling energy away from what matters most at this moment. The Primary is June 17, and early voting is already happening. If we don’t elect people who care about Samuels, we’ll lose more than just a library. We’ll face many challenges ahead, and we’ll be far better equipped for them if we prioritize literacy and discernment.

Allowing ourselves to get distracted now would be detrimental. Our county has been wounded enough times. We don’t have to keep being our own worst enemy.

I believe that we need Hugh Henry and Tony Carter on the Board of Supervisors. Let’s offer them our support.

Let’s save Samuels in solidarity today and then cross the next bridge together.

Parson Brown (Jarred Hill)
Warren County, VA

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