4 The RAPS Sheet February 2022 RAPS Group Reports Book Group THE RAPS BOOK group met on January 18 and discussed The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. The book is a novel, based on the life of Belle da Costa Greene. In the early years of the 20th century J. P. Morgan was gathering a collection of rare manuscripts and art for the library he was building, and Greene was hired as a librarian to work with acquisitions. She was a Black woman, passing as white, and was convinced that her employment and her success at work depended on her continued success in passing as white. And she was a brilliant success. Our discussion was fascinating. Central, of course, was racism and the separation of the races—more absolute in that era than it is today. But there were other issues. It was the era when women were beginning to agitate for the right to vote, and when women were beginning to take on roles outside the home. We were surprised by the prejudice expressed against Jewish people. World War I was in the background. We did not resolve anything, but had a very interesting afternoon, In February the Book Group will be discussing Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer. We plan to continue meeting via Zoom. The Book Group meets at 1:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month. Any RAPS member is welcome to join the group. —Joan Shireman Bridge Group I AM NOT CERTAIN but I imagine you folks are as tired of COVID as I am. I hope the current spike will crash as quickly and steeply as omicron did in the U.K. COVID-19 cases in Multnomah County do not seem to be declining to a “moderate risk” level. In fact Multnomah County is currently at an “extremely high” risk level. We will watch that risk level and begin bridge sessions when the risk drops down to “moderate” or maybe just “high risk.” We need additional players; do you want to join us? I would like to hear from any interested RAPS members, or others you know, who might want to play in our group. The RAPS Bridge Group does not require RAPS membership; your friends and relatives would be welcome to join us. Please contact Steve Brennan, 503-889-0146. My email address is: the.steve.brennan@gmail.com. —Steve Brennan Hiking Group THE HIKING GROUP’S next adventure is scheduled for February 22. The planned hike is a six-mile in-and-out walk along the Salmon Creek Greenway in Vancouver. Information about the hike and request for RSVPs is usually sent out within a week of the hike. We ask for RSVPs so we know whom to expect at the trailhead. If you are not on the current mailing list and would like to be, please contact Tom Dieterich at tgdieterich@earthlink.net. If you are on the current mailing list, please watch for emails about the hike from either tgdieterich@earthlink.net or tgdieterich@gmail.com. The following link includes three hikes from 2021 and the 2022 calendar: https://1drv.ms/u/s!Asvnw2QV39famFda40hrSyeGNaXg?e =jonVJ1 The RAPS Hiking Group meets monthly on the fourth Tuesday of each month except December. —Tom Dieterich
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