Mar 24 House Republicans pass ‘parents’ rights’ bill in fight over schools By Stephen Groves, Associated Press House Republicans have passed legislation to press a midterm campaign promise to give parents greater say in what is taught in public schools. Critics say it is a burdensome proposal that would fuel a far-right movement that has resulted in… Continue reading
Mar 23 Book ban attempts reach record high in 2022, American Library Association report says By Hillel Italie, Associated Press The report released Thursday says more than 1,200 challenges were recorded by the association in 2022, nearly double the then-record total from 2021. Continue reading
Mar 15 Experts say attacks on free speech are rising across the U.S. By Rebecca Boone, Associated Press First Amendment experts say attacks on free speech rights are escalating across the United States. Joe Cohn with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression says censorship is proliferating and putting America's culture of individual freedoms at risk. Continue reading
Mar 02 Watch 5:22 Librarians in Louisiana at odds with conservative activists working to ban books By Roby Chavez, Karina Cuevas Scrutiny of libraries, books and teaching materials has become a central issue for conservative politicians around the nation. In Louisiana, the fight over banning books is escalating and targeting librarians as conservative Christian groups are working to take over the… Continue watching
Feb 27 As LGBTQ book challenges rise, some Louisiana librarians are scared to go to work By Roby Chavez Librarians in Louisiana are being targeted and facing harassment from conservative activists who want to ban or limit access to LGBTQ books in public libraries. Continue reading
Sep 06 Ruby Bridges, civil rights activist, writes children’s book By Jay Reeves, Associated Press Complete with a glossary that includes the words “Supreme Court” and “law," the book is an uplifting story about opportunities and kids being able to make a difference, Bridges said. Continue reading
May 10 Coalition of librarians, teachers and publishers forms to fight book bans By Associated Press The American Library Association, the American Federation of Teachers and more than a dozen other organizations have formed a coalition to fight the nationwide wave of book bans and challenges. Continue reading
Apr 06 Watch 9:07 Push to purge some books from schools highlights nation’s cultural schism By Jeffrey Brown, Anne Azzi Davenport, Alison Thoet A new report from the American Library Association shows that attempts to ban books in the U.S. surged last year to the highest level since the group began tracking book challenges 20 years ago. According to the study, most of… Continue watching
Mar 01 Book bans have reached levels not seen in decades — but nationwide activism to oppose them is growing, too By Heather Hollingsworth, Hillel Italie, Associated Press The wave of book bannings around the country has reached a level not seen for decades. So has the level of the response. Continue reading
Feb 24 Watch 6:04 Claiming abuse, Texas tries to prevent gender-affirming care for trans children By Amna Nawaz, Matt Loffman Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the state's attorney general have directed state agencies to investigate families who provide gender-affirming medical care for transgender children. Dr. Stephen Rosenthal, a pediatric endocrinologist and the medical director of the Child and Adolescent Gender… Continue watching