RESOURCES FOR PARENTS
Intellectual Freedom
The First Amendment of the United States Constitution
What is Intellectual Freedom? Why is it important?
Why Book Ban Efforts Are Spreading Across the US
GLAAD & NCAC Media Fact Sheet on School Censorship
Judy Blume's Thoughts on Censorship
National Council of Teachers of English
-Statement Regarding Rating or "Red-Flagging" Books
Coalition Statement: The Attack on Books in Schools
Toolkits
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Get Ready, Stay Ready - A Community Action Toolkit for Parents & Caregivers
A great resource packed with information, slide decks, video presentations, scripts, & other training materials for learning how to fight against book and materials challenges in your community.
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Created by grassroots organization Red, Wine, & Blue, you can download this resource full of information like how to organize locally, how to use social media to your advantage, and how to speak at board meetings.
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The Kids Right to Read Action Kit for Students and Parents
Developed by the National Coalition Against Censorship, this guide "explores the most common motivations behind book challenges and suggests strategies to counter them."
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Unite Against Book Bans Action Toolkit
How can you and your community unite against book bans? We've put together this action toolkit to help you get started.
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National Coalition Against Censorship
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.
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PEN America
PEN America’s free expression and education program works to reconcile these tensions by working with schools, colleges, and universities to ensure robust protections for academic freedom and freedom of speech are balanced with advancements in diversity and inclusion, as well efforts to redress legacies of discrimination and inequity. Our team of experts engage in research, advocacy, trainings, public events, and youth programming, and we have developed specialized resources for college administrators, faculty, and students.
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Banned in the USA: PEN America's Report on The Growing Movement to Censor Books in Schools (great source for statistics)
American Library Association
The staff of the Office for Intellectual Freedom is available to answer questions or provide assistance to librarians, trustees, educators, and the public about the First Amendment and censorship.
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Penguin Random House
At Penguin Random House, we believe in the right to freedom of expression and protecting writers against censorship. Reading is indispensable in having an informed, engaged democracy, and the dramatic rise in efforts to ban books in public schools and libraries—many of them by BIPOC or LGBTQ voices—threatens the advancement of our society and culture.
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Unite Against Book Bans
Unite Against Book Bans is a national initiative to empower readers everywhere to stand together in the fight against censorship.
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EveryLibrary - Fight For the First
Fight for the First draws on the power of people just like you to create a movement for long-lasting change, giving you the tools to build a local or national campaign to fight for the First Amendment.
