FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 2, 2023 

press@campaignsharedfuture.org

Campaign for Our Shared Future Reaffirms Commitment to Protecting Students Right to Read During Banned Books Month

Washington, D.C. - Today, the Campaign for Our Shared Future (COSF) Executive Director Heather Harding, Ed.D. released the following statement during Banned Books Week and in recognition of COSF’s decision to spend the month of October commemorating Banned Book Month:

“As we celebrate the freedom to read and the right of every student to explore diverse perspectives, Banned Books Week is a reminder of the challenges we face in our efforts to preserve these freedoms.

“In this time marked by damaging attacks on schools across the nation, books are being censored, challenged, and even banned because they explore uncomfortable truths, challenge the status quo, or provide insights into the lives of those whose stories are often marginalized. Censoring or banning books not only infringes upon our children's right to explore ideas and cultures different from their own but also leads to an inaccurate telling of history and encourages the censorship of K-12 curriculum in ways that erase some American stories.

“With many states across the country poised to elect new school board members next month, we must stand together to protect the right to read. Our decision at the ballot box helps ensure we have local leaders that protect students’ rights to explore, learn, and grow through the pages of books that may challenge, inspire, or resonate with their own experiences.”

The decision to recognize October as Banned Book Month comes just weeks after new studies were published highlighting the mounting pressure to censor and a record surge of book challenges in the first eight months of 2023.

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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.