Barack Obama posted a special message on Instagram yesterday to commemorate Banned Books Week.
The former president of the United States reposted a TikTok video that he made last year with Kankakee (Ill.) Public Library (KPL), where he appears along with KPL librarians as they highlight books that have faced calls for censorship on the shelves of schools and libraries.
In the caption for the September 24 Instagram post, Obama writes:
“It’s Banned Books Week, so I hope you’ll join me in thanking our school and public librarians for their hard work protecting our freedom to read. As I’ve said before, the free, robust exchange of ideas has always been at the heart of American democracy, and we need to make sure readers across the country have access to a wide range of books.
“If you’re looking for ways to take action today, check out the link in my bio for resources that the @AmericanLibraryAssociation has put together.”
Watch the video below:
View this post on Instagram
Obama's latest message echoes the open letter that he penned last year in support of our nation’s librarians and their work defending the freedom to read. In that letter, Obama underscored the importance of communities being able to have access to information via libraries and expresses his and former First Lady Michelle Obama’s gratitude to librarians for their steadfast daily work protecting everyone's right to read.
"Whether you just started working at a school or public library, or you’ve been there your entire career, Michelle and I want to thank you for your unwavering commitment to the freedom to read," he wrote. "All of us owe you a debt of gratitude for making sure readers across the country have access to a wide range of books, and all the ideas they contain."
Take action
Alarmed by the escalating attempts to censor books? Here are five steps you can take now to protect the freedom to read.
- Follow news and social media in your community and state to keep apprised of organizations working to censor library or school materials.
- Show up for library workers at school or library board meetings and speak as a library advocate and community stakeholder who supports a parent’s right to restrict reading materials for their own child but not for all
- Help provide a safety net for library professionals as they defend intellectual freedom in their communities by giving to the LeRoy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund.
- Educate friends, neighbors, and family members about censorship and how it harms communities. Share information from Banned Books Week.
- Join the Unite Against Book Bans movement and visit our Fight Censorship page to learn what you can do to defend the freedom to read in your community.
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Image: A still from Barack Obama's video message to the American Library Association in June 2021.
