Right to Read Day

April 24, 2023
Every Day

News and Updates

Graphic of Louisiana with text that reads "Louisiana: Act TODAY to Stop SB7!"

Louisiana: Act TODAY to Stop SB7!

May 22, 2023

At 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 23, the Louisiana House Education Committee will hear SB7, a bill that lets the state government – not your local library – decide what …

Louisiana: Act TODAY to Stop SB7! Read More »

Graphic of an audience of people. Text reads "Attending Library and School Board Meetings"

Gear Up to Attend Your Local Library and School Board Meetings

May 3, 2023

Vocal minorities are waging a campaign to have books with topics they don’t agree with removed from libraries and schools, in many cases without even having read them. Attending library and school board meetings is one of the most critical actions you can take to fight back.

Graphic of Louisiana. Text reads "Louisiana: Stand up to SB7!"

Louisiana: say no to SB7!

April 26, 2023

On Thursday, April 27, the Louisiana Senate Education Committee is set to hear SB7. The bill is a classic example of a “solution in search of a problem.”

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 1,269 attempts to censor library books and resources in 2022, the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling data about censorship in libraries more than 20 years ago.

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, there were more censorship attempts in 2022 than at any time since the American Library Association began tracking more than two decades ago.

Illustration of a child looking at a gap in a bookshelf

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.
Smiling latin teen girl with down syndrome and her mom reading a book at home

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.

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