Tell Congress to End Discriminatory Book Bans for Good! Pass the #BooksSaveLivesAct

Tell Congress to pass the Books Save Lives Act and End Book Bans Now!

Book bans are not about protecting children, they are about discriminating against others.

Every reader deserves to see themselves reflected in our literature but instead of honoring the brilliance and diversity of our authors, illustrators, educators and librarians, expanding access to learning and literature, school districts and legislators across the country are focusing on further marginalizing people who already face systemic discrimination in our society — including Black people, people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, religious minorities, and people with disabilities — through discriminatory book bans.

End Book Bans Now

It is time to end discriminatory book bans now! Sign our petition to tell congress to pass the Books Save Lives Act.

Dear Congress,

Books are an essential tool for learning, opportunity, and creating a safe space for people to learn about themselves and the world. People of all ages, especially our children and youth should have access to books that reflect the diversity of our communities and our lived experiences.

Unfortunately, there has been a rise in campaigns to ban books in schools and libraries across the country. The 2022-2023 school year alone had more than 3,000 instances of books banned across 33 states.

These efforts target underrepresented communities and undermine educational equity, with books prominently featuring the experiences of Black people, people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, religious minorities, and people with disabilities being disproportionately censored. The removal of books uplifting marginalized perspectives contributes to a hostile environment for vulnerable students that isolates and neglects their educational needs while further hindering people from learning about diversity and reinforcing harmful biases and stereotypes.

Moreover, campaigns to ban books endanger the livelihoods of librarians, authors, illustrators, educators, and more. Book bans lead to a decline in literature by and about underrepresented communities, further marginalizing people who face systemic discrimination in our society.

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.

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 urge you to pass the Books Save Lives Act (HR 6830) to counteract the rise in book bans and help ensure an inclusive learning environment for all students.

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