4 Ways To Impact Anti-Book Banning Efforts Before The Year Ends
These are about taking action now *and* preparing for 2024
Over on Literary Activism this week, I pulled together some of the highlights and lowlights of 2023 in book banning. We’re coming to the end of a hellacious year, and one which too many people either still have their heads buried in the sand about or who don’t see why this type of censorship is not a side effect but an actual tool being used to push us closer and closer to fascism.
It might feel hopeless. I admit to maybe having more days this year where I’ve felt completely defeated than I have felt revived or energized. But like any long-term challenge, recalibrating through continual reassessment helps you better focus and commit. To that end, I’ve pulled together four tasks anyone can take right now to prepare for another long year of book bans. Some of these you can do as soon as you close this email. Others will be about planning for those tasks in the future.
If you’ve never fancied yourself an activist, I’m begging you to make 2024 the year you do. Activism is not complicated or complex; it’s about taking action toward change. That’s all!
Write Your US House Representative
Right now, there are two very good bills related to book bans in the House of Representatives. The first is the Fight Book Bans Act, which would open up money for schools dealing with book bans via the Department of Education. The second bill is the Books Save Lives Act, which would not only classify book bans as civil rights violations–this is a key piece of the current lawsuits happening over banned books–but would require trained librarians in school libraries across the country. It would legislate diverse and inclusive collections and require the government accountability office to track the impact of censorship.
There is a third and equally important bill in the House focused on prison censorship. I’ve written at length before about why and how prisons are breeding grounds for censorship, and this bill would do wonders to getting not just books into the hands of some of the country’s most needy but would also ensure trained librarians in prison facilities. This bill did not progress outside of committee when introduced last year, but that does not mean it is dead. It could reemerge in 2024.
Take two minutes to find out who your representative is. Take five minutes to see if they have sponsored or cosponsored any of the three bills above (you can find that information in those links). Then, if your representative did cosponsor, write them with a thank you and your support. If your representative did not, you’ll want to take 10 minutes to write them and tell them why they should support these bills. Some statistics you might like to include in your letter are that:
Most parents do not agree with banning books in libraries (74% of parents say book bans infringe on their rights as parents and 67% agree it’s a waste of time).
92% of parents trust librarians to curate age appropriate material in the library. 83% agree that librarians know what books children would love; 77% agree that librarians are friendly and approachable; 77% agree that librarians make the library a place for fun and creativity; and 85% agree that librarians support children’s learning.
95% of parents believe every school should have a library and 91% of parents and guardians say that they trust public librarians and 86% find school librarians trustworthy.
86% of parents believe children’s book characters should be diverse and reflect many experiences. 87% believe that teenagers should have access to a wide range of books in their school library, including on complex and controversial subjects and themes.
Plan to Attend a Library and School Board Meeting in Q1 *or* Write a Letter
Attending a school or library board meeting matters, but the reality is, we’re all busy and it might be challenging to be there in person for any number of reasons. But even if you cannot go in person, commit to submitting at least ONE public comment to each in the first three months of 2024.
Before attending or writing, read through the last 6 months of meeting notes. You can usually find those on the board pages for the appropriate body; if not, look to the municipality’s website for it. This will get you familiar with what is being talked about. In some cases, you’ll see notes on public comments (other times you might only access those through video recordings of the meeting–public comments are going to tell you what your community is concerned or “concerned” about, but if you don’t have the ability to see them, that’s ok).
When you show up to speak at the board meeting or submit a letter, you can say something related to whatever has been discussed in previous meetings or you can simply say you appreciate the work being done in the school/library. Cite examples here, and you don’t need to be brilliant. You loved the Black history month display and borrowed and read a new book from it. You appreciated that your student did a class novel study on a Black author’s work and want to emphasize how inclusivity is a key part of educating this next generation of young people.
Did you go to the public library and get good help or attend a program? Thank them for it. Thank the school librarian for creating an environment your child loves to use during the day and that the low-sensory room they created has been so helpful.
Whatever it is, it’s not too small. It’s huge.
Boards hear from the aggrieved enough. Tell them what’s going right and what you want to see more of.
Of course, if you are dealing with book bans in your area, this is your time to speak up and out.
Bonus: commit to this task with a friend. Be accountability buddies. See if your friend will solicit a friend, too. That is how movements begin.
Second bonus: if you’ve got the time and passion, you can run for one of the board seats. Too much of an obligation? Look into volunteering your time in your local Friends of the Library or Parent Teacher Association.
Psst: if you haven’t been to your local library in a while and/or don’t have a card, make a trip! Don’t have one in your community? Find a neighboring one and make a trip of it. You might even be able to get a library card for that library with a small fee..
Make a Financial Donation
Love the work that anti-censorship groups are doing? Make a donation or purchase something from them that gets money directly into the work to end book bans. Ides include:
Big organizations like PEN America
Political Action Groups like EveryLibrary
Organizations like We Need Diverse Books
Grassroots groups like Florida Freedom to Read Project (their merch is awesome), Texas Freedom to Read Project (or their merch), or any of the dozens of other on-the-ground folks doing this work in their own free time.
Many national groups that don’t necessarily focus on books or reading have been instrumental in this fight, too. You might find your local PFLAG an excellent choice for a donation, for example, or any other group whose name might be attached to some of the legislation noted earlier.
Skip the kinds of goods you can find on Etsy or other bookish outlets unless part of that money goes to actually ending book bans. Take the time to dig a little bit. A lot of folks are cashing in on the movement in ways that don’t end it–it’s not a great look.
Don’t Give Up
I have wanted to too many times.
So has every single other person in this fight.
Some even have–this is not easy stuff.
We need to stay strong and united over something that is so fundamental we forget that the repression and destruction of it is the tool of fascism and not a side effect: the right to read.
The only way we do that is by continuing to support, strengthen, bolster, and encourage one another.
Onward we go.