[Librarians in at least three states are asking the federal Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission to intervene after they were fired
for refusing to ban books. ]
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LIBRARIANS, WHO LOST JOBS FOR NOT BANNING BOOKS, ARE FIGHTING BACK  
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Interview by Matt Bloom
January 2, 2024
NPR
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_ Librarians in at least three states are asking the federal Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission to intervene after they were fired
for refusing to ban books. _

Brooky Parks filed state and federal discrimination complaints
alleging she was fired by the High Plains Library District after
objecting to the cancellation of programs she had planned for youth of
color and LGBTQ teens., (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)

 

The American Library Association says challenges to books on their
shelves are up sharply in recent years. In the cultural battle over
what information should be publicly available, some librarians are
losing their jobs. One fought back. Colorado Public Radio's Matt Bloom
has her story.

MATT BLOOM: Brooky Parks started working in the teen section of a
local public library in Erie, Colo., in 2019. The 49-year-old mom of
two got to talk to kids every day and help them discover new books.

BROOKY PARKS: I loved it. It was probably my dream job.

BLOOM: As a part of her work, she launched an anti-racism workshop and
what she called the Read Woke book club, focused on LGBTQ-themed
books. Soon, the library district got complaints from two local
parents about their titles, and managers cancelled her workshop and
club. Parks was shocked.

PARKS: And I said, well, I don't understand why we're going to rename
an entire book club just because two members of our entire community
don't like the word woke. That's the very definition of censorship.

BLOOM: The library board also passed a new policy that discouraged,
quote, "controversial events." Parks pushed back in public meetings,
actions she said led to the district firing her after more than two
years on the job.

PARKS: And they said, we just feel like you're not taking
responsibility for any of this, and so your services are no longer
needed.

BLOOM: The next month, she filed a discrimination complaint with the
Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Colorado State
Civil Rights Commission, and she filed a lawsuit. But she hoped to
prove her firing was discriminatory before taking her case to court.
Her employer, the High Plains Library District, said they canceled
Parks' programs to rework their titles because they promoted an
agenda. Here's District Director Matthew Hortt at a board meeting in
December.

MATTHEW HORTT: We're not restricting, we're not censoring information.
What we're doing is we're trying to present it in a way we can have a
discussion.

BLOOM: But after a year of investigating her case, Colorado's Civil
Rights Commission ruled Parks' firing was illegal discrimination. And
this fall, the library district settled Parks' lawsuit against them
before it went to court for $250,000. Iris Halpern is her lawyer.

IRIS HALPERN: It sends a message out that there are consequences -
financial consequences - and we can put guardrails up against things
like censorship and discrimination.

BLOOM: Halpern is also representing librarians from Texas and Wyoming
in similar cases.

HALPERN: What we're seeing is these terminations are backfiring within
the communities where they happen.

BLOOM: The American Library Association recorded more than 700
attempts to ban books or censor library programming around racial or
LGBTQ issues, the most on record. President Emily Drabinski says
Parks' settlement victory is likely the first of many legal
challenges.

EMILY DRABINSKI: This is a big win and it's an exciting one, and it
buoys the rest of us in the field, I think, to learn about her fight
and her win.

BLOOM: For Parks, the victory came at a cost. She was unemployed for
eight months and had to get help from an online fundraiser to pay her
bills.

PARKS: And without that, I probably would have lost my house.

BLOOM: She's now working again, this time at an academic library at
the University of Denver.

PARKS: I know I sacrificed my dream job, but I can lay down and sleep
at night knowing that I did the right thing.

BLOOM: As a part of her legal settlement, a lot changed at her former
library. Librarians now get a chance to veto program cancellations,
and a new policy states inclusive and diverse programming is
encouraged.

* Book Banning
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* Public Libraries
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* librarians
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* fightback
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