Following please find a short and growing list of organizations that are taking a lead in helping to fight book banning and authoritarian-motivated censorship of thought and the arts, both de facto and de jure.
Picture This Post urges you to consider donating to one or more of these organizations fighting censorship and visiting their websites to learn more about how you can help.
Listings are alphabetical and include a link to the online page where you can donate to them to help support their efforts.
Picture This Post's Banned Books Project Team invites your nominations for additions to the list. Please email your tips on any/all organizations to support to the Picture This Post Banned Books Project Team.
"Founded by the American Booksellers Association in 1990, ABFFE’s mission is to promote and protect the free exchange of ideas, particularly those contained in books, by opposing restrictions on the freedom of speech; issuing statements on significant free expression controversies; participating in legal cases involving First Amendment rights; collaborating with other groups with an interest in free speech; and providing education about the importance of free expression to booksellers, other members of the book industry, politicians, the press and the public."
"...The ACLU has always vigilantly defended the First Amendment and the right to free speech. We believe in an educated citizenry and a society where ideas are openly disseminated, discussed, and debated. And throughout our history, we have worked to protect the right to access information and the right to make up your own mind."
"...The mission of ALA is “to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all..."
"...annual 60-minute performance of dramatic readings of short excerpts taken from these (BANNED) books. City Lit has teamed up with the ALA in celebration of Banned Books Week since 2006, performing at special events, libraries and bookstores in and around Chicago...and virtually this year..."
“...EveryLibrary is the first and only national organization dedicated to building voter support for libraries. We are chartered “to promote public, school, and college libraries, including by advocating in support of public funding for libraries and building public awareness of public funding initiatives...”
“...A good high school or university strives to educate students for the future, preparing for life as professionals, but also as citizens. It’s the latter that proves to be the true challenge. Too many students move into adulthood with only a limited sense of how our country works and a lack of appreciation for the rich experience that living in a democracy provides…The First Amendment Center, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, seeks to preserve and protect First Amendment freedoms through information and education...”
"The Foundation is devoted to the principle that the solution to offensive speech is more speech. And the suppression of speech, on the grounds that it gives offense to some, infringes on the rights of all to a free, open, and robust marketplace of ideas."
"... MoveOn is launching a “Banned Bookmobile,” filling it with books that DeSantis and other MAGA Republicans have banned in recent years, and driving it around the country to hand out those books for free..."
Image Courtesy of National Coalition Against Censorship
"...For almost 50 years, NCAC has acted as a first responder to protect this freedom, which is both a fundamental human right and a keystone of democracy in the ever-changing American nation. We promote freedom of thought and inquiry and oppose censorship. When controversy occurs, we encourage and facilitate dialogue between divergent voices and perspectives, including those that have historically been silenced..."
“PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible.”
“People For the American Way has engaged cultural and community leaders and individual activists in campaign promoting freedom of expression, civic engagement, fair courts, and legal and lived equality for LGBTQ people. Together we have battled voter suppression, censorship, and injustice in our justice system.”
"This is not the 1950s. Every kid should be equipped for the 21st century, and that means learning real history (not fairy tales) and respecting people across our differences. It means ensuring every kid feels safe to learn and thrive at school."
In 1933, Nazis burned works of Jewish authors, and other works considered “un-German”
About the Author: In 1933, Nazis burned works of Jewish authors, and other works considered “un-German”
About the Author: Banned Books Project Editorial Team
Are you also alarmed by the rise of book banning in America?
Through spotlighting those involved in the fight against book banning, Picture This Post seeks to provide both an overview of this issue and suggestions on how you can join the groundswell of resistance to this latest chapter in censorship of artistic expression.
If you and/or your book club or book community wants to Adopt a Banned Book -- or in other ways add to this timely conversation --please write to bannedbookspicturethispost@gmail.com.
