One effective way to fight book bans is to let your voice be heard at the local level. You can write to your school board and local officials to ask them to protect our students' freedom to read. Whether there are book bans or challenges taking place in your community or if you would like to show your support for a job well done, a postcard can be a great advocacy tool.
Gather Background Information
Not sure what’s happening in your local schools? Here are a few helpful tools to get you informed.
- An online search of local news can provide information.
- BoardDocs, is an online platform used by many school districts to house their board policies and meeting agendas, where you can find more information on what is happening at local schools. If you’re unsure how school boards work, what they do, or what you should say, the Washington ACLU created a Parents’ Guide to School Board Advocacy to answer some of those questions (notes on making an effective presentation start on page 17).
- Book Riot has a specific category of news on censorship that you can check out for a comprehensive overview of what is happening across the country.
Are Books Being Censored in Your Schools?
Here are a few databases and resources you can check.
- The National Coalition Against Censorship has a database of book challenges with entries from 2018 on, providing a good overview of the who, what, and why.
- PEN America has also released the report “Banned in the USA: Rising School Book Bans Threaten Free Expression and Students’ First Amendment Rights” with data from the 2021-2022 school year and more.
- WNDB has a new resource that includes information on how to file a Freedom of Information act, if the information you’re seeking isn’t readily available (on page 9).
Download our postcard template!
What to Write?
Address a postcard to your school board, school principal, or local elected officials and pen a short message to convey how vital it is that kids have access to diverse books, the most frequent targets of book bans. Support or encourage them to diversify their book shelves and to keep books on the shelf.
Here are some important points you might want to cover in your message, from WNDB and other organizations:
- The Supreme Court has ruled that the right of all children to read books free of viewpoint discrimination is guaranteed by the First Amendment. (See more at this sample letter on page 19 of the Kids Right to Read Action Kit from the National Coalition Against Censorship).
- Studies show that reading diverse books increases empathy, reduces racial bias, and encourages literacy.
- Book challenges doubled in 2022, according to the American Library Association, disproportionately targeting diverse titles including those by and about LGBTQIA+ people, Black people, Indigenous people, and people of color.
- Book challenges have restricted reading opportunities for more than 4 million children nationwide, according to PEN America, denying students access to identity-affirming texts and books providing diverse perspectives.
- Write postcards to administrators and politicians to show your support for the work of teachers and librarians and to remind them that people are engaged in the community.
If you know of a specific book being banned:
- “Not everyone in our community shares the views of those opposed to [Book Title] and the challengers have no right to impose their views on others or demand that the educational program reflect their personal preferences.” (See more at this sample letter on page 19 of the Kids Right to Read Action Kit from the National Coalition Against Censorship).
- “If parents do not want their children to read a particular book, then they are free to request an alternative assignment. But they may not infringe upon the rights of others to read the book or tell other parents what their children may read.” (See more at this sample letter on page 19 of the Kids Right to Read Action Kit from the National Coalition Against Censorship).
- Share a book that saved your life, and the impact that it had on you. By showing the power of diverse books, we can demonstrate why it’s so important for students to be able to access titles that they can see themselves in.
To say thank you:
If you know teachers and librarians who support the right to read and have been involved in efforts to push back against book challenges, you can write a postcard of thanks.
