Crowns Tea at the Enid Public Library

Library Patrons Spend Some Quali-tea Time Together. Tea, snacks, and fancy hats welcomed people from all walks of life to the Enid Public Library during its first Crowns Tea on Saturday, April 27, 2024.

Thanks to a partnership between Enid Public Library and Thick Descriptions, an Oklahoma organization that aims to disrupt systems that prevent us from building community together, library patrons were given the opportunity to come together and partake in a variety of discussions. A thick description is a cultural anthropology term for a detailed description of the context in which events occur, which thus provides a greater understanding of people and events.
Suzette Change, founder and CEO of Thick Descriptions, uses the book Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats to facilitate discussions during the organization’s Crowns Tea event. Crowns by Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry is a collection of photos of women of all ages in their church hats alongside their stories about just how much a hat can say about a person.

“Enid is a wonderful opportunity to have different conversations,” Chang says. “This is more than Church hats for African American women. It’s the stories. It’s their experiences. It’s the intersectionality and the independence of their experiences.”

While speaking on the idea of having preconceived notions, many patrons admitted to thinking of a public library as a place to only check out books and sometimes owe a fine due to overdue library book fees. Some in the event were surprised to find out that the Enid Public Library, a place many participants admitted to thinking was not much more than books, offered services and programs that create a space for people to come together and build community. This includes services and programs such as a 3D printing station, U.S. citizenship preparation, and a program for people to work towards their GED.

“It was wonderful to have so many ladies join us from diverse backgrounds and cultures and experiences to join in a conversation about building bridges,” said Theri Ray, Enid Public Library Director.

If you’d like to take a look into the book that sparked the multiple discussions, everyone is welcome to check out Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats from the Enid Public Library.