Book banning has been a major problem for years, but Rhode Island lawmakers are trying to do something about it.
The Freedom to Read Act, signed into law over the summer, is due to take full effect Jan. 1.
When it was passed, it was the first state law in the nation to guarantee that if a book is illegally banned, authors and readers can take their case to court.
“Both our public libraries and our school libraries are going to be protected from any politically motivated censorship,” said state Rep. David Morales, one of the sponsors of the measure.
“In other words, to get a book removed from the shelves, or to be reconsidered on where it is found in the library, there will now be a formal process to do so,” Morales said.
At least a dozen states have enacted similar laws designed to protect schools and libraries from political interference, including Vermont and Connecticut.
It’s a nationwide issue. The American Library Association documented 821 efforts to keep certain books off the shelves in 2024. At least 33 states restrict some of the material libraries offer on their shelves.
Groups such as Moms for Liberty have sought to prevent children from reading material that they say endorses LGBTQ+ themes.
This past year, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered U.S. military academies such as West Point and Annapolis to purge their curricula of themes the President deems to be “un-American,” which included banning works by celebrated Black authors like Toni Morrison, James Baldwin and Ta-Nehisi Coates.
“They have decided that they trust young people in the service academies to fly $40 million aircraft but not to read Toni Morrison,” said Rhode Island Congressman Seth Magaziner at a news conference held at the Cranston Public Library in June.
“Let’s be very very clear,” said Congressman Gabe Amo at the same event, “an attack on libraries is an attack on knowledge and it is an attack on opportunity.”
But the problem isn’t just from the political Right.
Here in New England, at least 10 Massachusetts school districts restricted access to certain Dr. Seuss books on the grounds they contained outdated, racist stereotypes.
Classic titles such as To Kill a Mockingbird and Huckleberry Finn have repeatedly come under fire because of concerns raised about racial slurs.
Rhode Island’s new Freedom to Read Act requires any proposed restrictions on reading materials to go through a formal review process. Not only do authors and readers have the right to appeal, librarians acting in good faith also gained additional protections against losing their jobs amid any controversies.
Although the law took effect when it was signed in July, libraries were given until the first of the year to implement all the new safeguards.
The Rhode Island lawmakers behind the law say the Ocean State, true to its roots, should remain at the forefront of efforts to protect freedom of expression.
