FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

June 29, 2023

press@campaignsharedfuture.org 

Campaign for Our Shared Future Hosted Banned Book Giveaway, Countering Extremist Group's Conference

Philadelphia, PA - Today, in a powerful stand for intellectual freedom and the preservation of diverse literature, Campaign for Our Shared Future (COSF) organized a Banned Book Giveaway in Philadelphia. This initiative was a direct response to the local conference held by Moms for Liberty, an extremist group leading calls for book banning around the country.

“The Campaign for Our Shared Future was thrilled to join local advocates and partners in the City of Brotherly Love to reject hate and extremism. Across the country we see extremist group Moms for Liberty and its political allies working to erase American history and limit our children’s access to age appropriate literature,” said Heather Harding, Ed.D., Executive Director of COSF. 

Click here to see more content from the Banned Book Giveaway.

The Banned Book Giveaway saw local advocates unite to distribute age-appropriate books that have been unjustly banned or challenged within the United States. These books, representing a range of perspectives and topics, have been subject to censorship due to the radical agenda pursued by Moms for Liberty and its political allies. The event drew the attention of community members, educators, and literary enthusiasts who value the fundamental principles of free speech and the right to access diverse literature.

According to PEN America, during the first half of the 2022-23 school year, there were 1,477 instances of individual books banned. Roughly 30% are books about race, racism, or feature characters of color; 26% of unique titles banned have LGBTQ+ characters or themes. Furthermore, most Americans oppose banning books. Polls consistently show that Americans of all political persuasions oppose book bans.

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The Campaign for Our Shared Future (COSF) is a non-partisan effort to support high-quality K-12 education and preserve access, inclusion, and meaningful content in our schools so that every student has an opportunity to succeed and thrive. COSF is a common ground effort committed to fighting the attack on education across the country.