Tell Congress to Pass the Books Save Lives Act! SIGN NOW

Dear Friend,

Books, a critical part of learning, are under profound attack across the country. At obscene rates books are disappearing from library shelves, being unfairly challenged in droves, and harmfully banned by school boards and legislators. The banning of books we are witnessing across the nation is not about protecting children. It's about censorship and exclusion. It’s about discrimination against others.

We must take action to stop book bans for good. Tell Congress to pass the Books Save Lives Act.

The vast majority of books being banned are books by Black authors, authors of color, LGBTQ+ authors, and books by women. These books cover important topics about racism, sexuality, gender, history, and health. Studies on book bans also reveal the negative and chilling impacts of book bans on teacher morale and student success that reach far beyond the districts that are facing bans. Specifically, restricting book access decreases students’ engagement in reading. More than a third of educators noted that book bans discourage students’ critical thinking, and 78 percent reported that students are reading more when given the choice to read banned books. [1]

We must push back against the banning of books and the discrimination, fear mongering, intolerance, exclusion, and censorship that undergird it.

Congress must act now! Pass the Books Save Lives Act!

Of the 5,894 instances of books banned across the 2021–22 and 2022–23 school years [2]:

• 2,152 include characters of color or discuss race and racism
• 2,122 present LGBTQ+ characters or themes and 442 of these books include transgender characters
• 2,029 cover topics on health and well-being for students.

The Books Save Lives Act would counteract the rise in book bans and help ensure an inclusive learning environment for all students.

Specifically, the legislation would:

• Ensure primary and secondary schools have a library with a trained librarian;
• Require public libraries and school libraries to maintain a diverse collection of books;
• Classify discriminatory book bans as violations of federal civil rights laws; and
• Direct the Government Accountability Office to report on the effect of book bans on underrepresented communities.

Education transforms lives, and we all play a role in building a world where every child has access to a quality education. Access to books is an essential part of that. Our work is to remove barriers to education and educational materials, to level the playing field of opportunity for all students. Book bans do the opposite and must be stopped once and for all.

Tell Congress to Act! Pass the Books Save Lives Act, and end Book Bans for good.

The fight for books is a fight for democracy; a fight for education; a fight for representation and the space to protect learning; a fight for justice.

Thanks for all that you do,

– Beatriz, Kelsey, Monifa, Kristin, Nate, Sue Anne, Jenny and the whole MomsRising.org & MamásConPoder Team

References:
[1] First Book Research & Insights - Banned Books Study
[2] School Book Bans: The Mounting Pressure to Censor - PEN America

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