Press Release: Coalition of Texans United in the Fight for the Freedom to Read Issues Joint Statement and Calls on State Legislature to End Censorship attempts.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 28, 2025

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Laney Hawes, Texas Freedom to Read Project (TXFTRP) [email protected]

Carolyn Foote, Texas FReadom Fighters [email protected]

Cameron Samuels, Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT) [email protected]

Chris Barton, Texas Author [email protected] 

[Texas, USA] — Today, a broad coalition of educational, civil rights, and literary advocacy organizations—including Texas Freedom to Read Project, Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT), the Institute of Letters, Authors Against Book Bans, Texas FReadom Fighters, ACLU of Texas, and EveryLibrary—released a Joint Statement in Support of the Freedom to Read in Texas. The statement directly addresses legislative efforts that threaten to undermine the constitutional right to free speech and access to information across the state’s schools, public libraries, and bookstores.                                           

In light of recent laws and potential new bills targeting reading materials, the coalition’s Joint Statement calls upon the 89th Texas Legislature to reject any new legislation that further restricts access to books in schools, libraries, or bookstores, uphold Article One of the Texas State Constitution, which guarantees the liberty to speak, write, and publish opinions without government interference, and preserve local decision-making by librarians, educators, and families rather than centralized, politically motivated censorship.

Carolyn Foote, of Texas FReadom Fighters explains, “Librarians know the importance of creating a welcoming climate that allows students to get the resources they need to thrive and grow. Students deserve the right to read stories about their lives and the lives of their families on the shelves of libraries.”

“There is no more fundamental freedom than the right to read, to learn, and to access information and ideas” said Laney Hawes, co-founder of the Texas Freedom to Read Project. “These attempts at censorship for political gain especially affect our children and the young people of Texas. We don’t want to co-parent with the government. As parents, we know our children best. This influx of censorship runs contrary to the guiding principles in our state constitution. We urge our legislators to stand with us in upholding our rights.”

"Students face detrimental impacts of book bans every day as censorship places limits on our liberty and erases stories our world is built upon. Every student deserves to find themself on school shelves, but policymakers are attempting to equate our realities with vulgarity,” explains Cameron Samuels, Executive Director of Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT). “If we are to learn about the dangers of substance abuse, navigate the horrors of sexual violence, or prevent human trafficking, we need uncensored access to stories that challenge the unjust status quo and help us tackle Texas-sized problems. If students can't read it in a book, our generation will grow up ignorant, misinformed, and feeble. Books challenge us to be the best of ourselves. Censorship leaves us in the dark." 

While these legislative challenges play out at the state level, their potential ramifications resonate far beyond Texas. Censorship anywhere undermines constitutional freedoms everywhere, setting a dangerous precedent that other states may follow.

“What happens in Texas doesn’t stay in Texas,” said John Chrastka, Executive Director of EveryLibrary, a national political action committee for libraries. “State-sponsored censorship in Texas emboldens attempts to stifle free speech across the nation. It is critical—for the freedom to read in every community—that Texas lawmakers reject these unconstitutional book bans.”

The coalition urges all Texans—parents, educators, librarians, and community members alike—to join us by signing on to the letter and to learn more and take action against anti-library, anti-access, and anti-reader legislation. Visit https://www.txftrp.org to read the full letter, explore additional resources, and join the fight to protect the constitutional right to read.

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Full text of the letter sent to Texas legislators on January 28, 2025: