The Freedom Library: A Living Offering for Our Collective Healing and Study

The Freedom Library at Sangha House NOLA is a sacred offering in service of transformation, healing, and our collective liberation. This living library is being built as a refuge for our community, a space where literature becomes a form of practice, and study supports the well-being of both body and mind. We are gathering texts that reflect the fullness of our lineages and lived experiences: Buddhist wisdom, sacred texts from world religions, teachings on wellness and embodiment, and the voices of those too often left out of mainstream archives.

This is a library shaped by and for our community. Its foundation is rooted in mindfulness, cultural memory, and spiritual care. As book bans increase and archives are threatened, we remain committed to building a space that holds the complexity, beauty, and brilliance of our people, a space where the wisdom of the past and the possibilities of the present meet.

We are honored to source all books for the Freedom Library through the Community Book Center, a Black-owned bookstore that has served New Orleans for over 40 years as a literary, cultural, and social hub on historic Bayou Road. CBC has long been a beacon of African-centered literature, art, and education, a space that holds community with integrity, joy, and fierce dedication. With the guidance of Mama Vera, a beloved elder and lifelong bookkeeper, we are honored to continue this lineage by investing directly in the bookstore and the legacy it upholds.

When you support the Freedom Library, you also support the ongoing work of CBC and the broader circle of community knowledge keepers. Your contribution ensures that we are nurturing a network of local cultural stewardship, mutual care, and sacred study.

To learn more about Community Book Center and explore their offerings, visit: https://www.communitybookcenter.com

If you have books to offer that align with the spirit of the Freedom Library. Buddhist teachings, sacred texts from world religions, wellness and embodiment practices, or stories rooted in liberation, healing, and cultural memory we welcome your contributions.

We want to extend our warmest thanks to everyone who has contributed and benefited from the ever-developing Freedom Library housed at Sangha House.

Special thanks to Carla D. and Traer for their generous donations, and to Ayo for uplifting the vision. We’re especially grateful to receive The Mouse & the Buddha, a beautiful children’s book written by Kathryn Price Bronson—a story imagined by two Black non-Buddhist women in America who offered a unique and loving tale about a curious mouse learning the meaning of love from a Buddha statue in Dharamsala.

Freedom Library: Rooted in Wisdom, Remembering Well-Being

By Sangha House NOLA

Freedom Library: Rooted in Wisdom, Remembering Well-Being

A sacred space for learning, rest, and the full restoration of body, mind, and spirit.

Team Members