ACLU-NJ to Host Panel Discussion on the Harms of Banning Books and How to Fight Back

“More than Empty Shelves: How Book Bans Undermine Identities and Restrict Information” will be held in Princeton on October 2, register now.

For Immediate Release: September 27, 2023

Media Contact: Scott McDowell, Deputy Communications Director, press@aclu-nj.org, 973-854-1707

NEWARK – On October 2, the ACLU of New Jersey will bring together leading experts for a discussion on book bans and how they threaten the very foundation of our democracy – and how we have a responsibility to protect the right to freely speak, think, read, and write. In recent years across the nation, we’ve seen a resurgence of systematic attempts to ban books from libraries, classrooms, and curriculums with the aim to undermine experiences across all races, genders, and sexualities. As the right to access information is under attack around the country, New Jersey has an obligation to lead by example in defending it.

WHAT: More than Empty Shelves: How Book Bans Undermine Identities and Restrict Information, a panel discussion on how banning books threatens the foundation of our democracy.

WHEN: Monday, October 2 from 6-7:30 p.m.

WHERE: Labyrinth Books,122 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ 08542

WHO: This event will be moderated by ACLU-NJ Legal Director Jeanne LoCicero. Panelists include:

• Martha Hickson, New Jersey Library Association 2023 Librarian of the Year
• Kasey Meehan, Freedom to Read Program Director at PEN America
• Brielle Winslow-Majette, Deputy Director of Garden State Equality

REGISTRATION: Register here to attend.

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The ACLU of New Jersey has defended liberty and justice guided by the vision of a fair and equitable New Jersey for all since our founding in 1960. Our mission is to preserve, advance, and expand the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the state and federal constitutions in courts, in the legislature, and in our communities. We strive to be anti-racist and are actively committed to advancing racial justice for the people of New Jersey. We are a non-partisan organization that operates across political, legal, and cultural fronts to bring about change and build a more equitable society. www.aclu-nj.org