New York, NY, September 7, 2023 – In response to the rapid expansion of organized politically partisan efforts to remove books from school and public library shelves, the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) announced today the launch of the Kids’ Right to Read Network (KRRN), a network of local groups that are fighting for the freedom to read for young people.
“The goal of KRRN is to bring together the local groups that are fighting in school and library districts across the country,” Executive Director Christopher Finan said. “We are also urging everyone who cares about the freedom to read to start a Kids’ Right to Read group in their community.”
KRRN will host monthly meetings where groups can share information and gain access to resources provided by NCAC and its participating organizations. It is currently working with groups in Florida, Texas, Iowa, Missouri, New Jersey, Louisiana and South Carolina.
Since its inception in 1974, NCAC, an alliance of 59 national literary, artistic, religious, educational, professional, labor, and civil liberties groups, has worked closely with local activists to protect freedom of expression. Since the beginning of the current book banning crisis two years ago, NCAC’s Youth Free Expression Program (YFEP) has protested book removals in letters sent to more than 100 school districts.
“While a parent can ask for an alternate assignment if they object to their child reading a particular book, no parent has a right to decide what someone else’s kid can read, YFEP Director Christine Emeran said.