NEWS AND UPDATES
Last week brought reports that federal agencies are eradicating Black History Month. Executive orders to eliminate “discriminatory equity ideology” are in fact censorship attempts to prohibit the teaching of comprehensive American history in K-12 schools. As the war against censorship continues, the African American Policy Forum’s 2025 Liberation Calendar can provide support for ongoing engagement.
Book Banning Documentary “The Librarians” Premieres as DOE Declares Bans a “Hoax”
A new documentary film that explores record-breaking rates of U.S. book banning debuted at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival—on the same day that the U.S. Department of Education declared book bans a “hoax.”
New NYPL Teen Banned Book Club Pick: ‘Run: Book One’
The latest pick in NYPL’s national Teen Banned Book Club is “Run: Book One,” a bestselling graphic novel about the life and times of the late civil rights icon and congressman John Lewis. NYPL invites libraries, schools, and the public to read along with us and join the book’s creators for a special author talk on February 20.
Advocating for Educators and Students with the National Council of Teachers of English
The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) has been supporting educators and standing against curriculum and school library censorship since the 1950s. We’re here to support your advocacy for the right to read in your own schools and districts.
Unite Against Book Bans is a national initiative to empower readers everywhere to stand together in the fight against censorship.
We are not alone. On both sides of the aisle, large majorities of voters and parents oppose book bans.
of voters oppose efforts to remove books from public libraries.
of voters oppose efforts to remove books from school libraries.
Full poll results and key findings available via the American Library Association.
And yet, attempts to ban books from libraries continue to rise at an unprecedented level across the country. The American Library Association reported 1,247 attempts to censor library books and resources in 2023, primarily driven by efforts of pressure groups to censor multiple titles at a time in public and school libraries.
Book bans harm communities.
Students cannot access critical information to help them understand themselves and the world around them. Parents lose the opportunity to engage in teachable moments with their kids. And communities lose the opportunity to learn and build mutual understanding.
Although book bans are nothing new, they continue to happen at an alarming and unprecedented rate.
If you believe...
- Books are tools for understanding complex issues.
- Young people deserve to see themselves reflected in a library’s books.
- Parents should not be making decisions for other parents’ children.
- Individuals should be trusted to make their own decisions about what to read.
- Limiting young people’s access to books does not protect them from life’s complex and challenging issues.
Empowered by Reading
There are many important benefits of providing children and youth with a wide variety of developmentally appropriate reading materials - books which reflect their personal life experiences, as well a the experiences, stories, and histories of others in and beyond their communities.
Action Toolkit
Take a stand against book bans. Check out the UABB action toolkit and defend the right to read in your community.
Become a Partner
We can't defeat book bans alone. Unite with us as an organizational partner, and together we'll work to defeat censorship.
Merch Against Book Bans
Show the world that you unite against book bans with our official UABB apparel and totes, available in the ALA Graphics Store. All purchases support the Unite Against Book Bans campaign and our efforts to fight censorship.
This campaign is organized by the American Library Association and was launched with the generous support of the Steve & Loree Potash Family Foundation and the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Help us continue the fight against censorship. Your donation supports our efforts to defend the freedom to read for all Americans.