United Against Book Bans
Letter to Editor:
My thanks to the Community Brief for publishing my letter regarding HR 7661 regarding book banning. I was late in submitting, so it was not published as written. I'm writing to complete my thoughts on this topic.
It's not a surprise that this legislation has come forward. According to the group, “United Against Book Bans” (UABB), which is an American Library Association (ALA) program, from 1/25-3/26, more that 100 pro-censorship bills were introduced in state legislatures. At least 40 bills would penalize libraries and workers with lawsuits, fines or even jail time for protecting people’s right to read. The majority of censorship attempts were started by organized groups, like “Moms for Liberty” (featured in the censorship documentary, “The Librarians”). In 2024, groups and government agencies including elected officials, board (including school board) members and administered initiated 72% of the demands to censor books in school and public libraries. This despite a majority of all voters is 67%-71% oppose book bans; this from UBBA research.
The ALA is one of a broad coalition that believe: *Reading is a fundamental skill critical to learning and to exercising our domestic freedom.
