Citizens Review Committee is on the Agenda in Montgomery County Commissioners Court

Guest Blog Post by Montgomery County Library Supporter, Village Books Owner and friend of Texas Freedom to Read Project- Teresa Kenney

The Montgomery County Memorial Library System’s citizens review committee is once again on the Montgomery County Commissioners’ meeting agenda for October 22. We need everyone who is able to come out to court to speak out against the policy or to support those who do.

Recently, the citizens review committee reclassified a nonfiction middle grade book, Colonization and the Wampanoag Story as fiction. This book was written by a well-respected tribal historian, Linda Coombs, and is classified as nonfiction in the Library of Congress. The reasons for this egregious abuse of power by the citizens review committee were not given.

As stated in the policy, while reviewing a challenged book, the citizens review committee may:

1. [By] a simple majority vote, may take no action as to the request for reconsideration and the material will remain in the section it was originally assigned to.
2. [By] a simple majority vote, may instruct the Library Director to reassign the material to a more restrictive portion of the library.
3. [By] a unanimous vote, may instruct the Library Director to remove the material from circulation within the Montgomery County Memorial Library System. The Committee may only recommend removal of a material if the committee unanimously agrees that the material meets the harmful material standard described in Texas Penal Code § 43.24(a)(2).

Nowhere in the approved policy is it under the review committee’s purview to determine whose history is fiction or nonfiction. In addition, because the committee’s decision is essentially a directive to library staff, there is no opportunity for the library or the public to argue on behalf of the book or material.

Village Books, along with a coalition of organizations (including Texas Freedom to Read Project, PEN America, Penguin Random House, American Indians in Children’s Literature, We Need Diverse Books, Texas Library Association, FReadom Fighters, National Coalition Against Censorship, EveryLibrary, Authors Against Book Bans, American Indian Library Association, and the Authors Guild) strongly object to this overstep of power by the citizens review committee. Moreover, we object to the policy’s other elements, including removing librarians from the review process and holding close-door meetings with no transparency.

This recent decision has outraged not just our community but the country as a whole.

Please help us stand up to this injustice.

Join us on October 22 at 9:30 a.m. in Commissioners Court: Alan B. Sadler Commissioners Court Building, 501 N. Thompson, 4th Floor, Suite 402, Conroe, Texas.

The pro-censorship activist group, Two Moms and Some Books advocated for the creation of the review committee and will no doubt fill the court with its supporters. We need to show the commissioners that there are more of us who believe in respecting and elevating diverse voices than those who try to silence the truth that they disagree with. Wear a pro-book t-shirt to show your support.

If you're unable to attend the meeting on Tuesday, please e-mail the commissioners and Judge Keough to voice your support for protecting diverse and inclusive books in the Montgomery County Public Library, and opposition to the citizen review committee’s recent decision to reclassify the nonfiction book, Colonization and the Wampanoag Story by Linda Coombs to fiction.

• Precinct 1: Robert Walker [email protected] 
• Precinct 2: Charlie Riley [email protected]
• Precinct 3: James Noack [email protected]
• Precinct 4: Matt Gray [email protected]
• Judge Keough: [email protected]

We hope to see you there.

Teresa Kenney, Library Supporter & Owner of Village Books in The Woodlands

About the Author

Teresa Kenney is owner of Village Books, a community-minded independent bookshop located in The Woodlands, Texas. Prior to opening the bookshop in 2021, she was a freelance writer and contract editor for magazines and clients across the country. You can connect with Teresa through Village Books socials on Instagram & Facebook.