Late this summer season, Louisiana’s School Librarian of the Year, Amanda Jones, stood as much as communicate towards censorship on the Livingston Parish Public Library.
“I’d been following what was happening in Lafayette Parish,” Jones mentioned, “and when I saw my local library in Livingston Parish had books and signage on the agenda, I went to talk.”
In the times afterward, she grew to become topic of a number of social media posts by right-wing teams Citizens for a New Louisiana (captained by Michael Lunsford) and Bayou State of Mind (captained by Ryan Thames). These posts photos of Jones with textual content suggesting she advocates educating anal intercourse to 11-year-olds and transphobic language round how she modified her consumer identify on Facebook after harassment from Thames. New Citizens FOIAs to Jones’s office, demanding entry to employment information, amongst different issues.
Jones took Lunsford and Thames to court docket on prices of defamation. The lawsuit sought to place an finish to the teams posting about her, in addition to provide a protecting order and punitive damages–Jones has been topic to not solely common posts within the teams, however she has acquired quite a few threats towards her security within the months since standing up towards guide bans.
In September, Judge Erika Sledge dismissed the case, calling the posts issues of opinion and never truth. The defendants argued that when Jones spoke on the library board assembly, she made herself a public determine. As such, the authorized proper to assert defamation is way more difficult.
“I am deeply disappointed in the ruling, and concerned about other educators, parents, and students who might not feel able to defend our schools and our libraries if it opens them up to violence and hate,” explains Jones. “Over the past few weeks, I have prayed long and hard about my path forward, as well as spoken at length with family and friends. I decided I could not give up after the first round. That is why I filed a motion that asks the judge to reconsider her ruling and proposes an amended petition that restates my claims.”
The Motion for a New Trial, out there in full right here, offers way more context to the story of harassment to which Jones has been subjected. Jones, who nonetheless works as a faculty librarian, is making ready to take a medical go away within the spring as a result of of the toll this has taken on her well being.
November 21 is the date of the brand new trial.
Jones, had been she to lose the brand new trial, can be liable not just for her authorized prices, but in addition for the charges of these she’s in search of motion towards. In different phrases, she could also be required to pay the prices of those that have been harassing her within the identify of standing up for her personal rights to not be topic to defamation, harassment, and loss of life threats.
“It is important that I continue to fight to protect myself and others from the horrible attacks I have faced, and to show all of our children that we must never give in to bullies,” she mentioned. “[T]he cause of standing up against censorship, so that libraries are safe havens for every member of our community, is priceless.”
Jones’s full assertion about persevering with her combat is out there on her web site, and anybody concerned about serving to her cowl the fee of authorized charges is invited to donate to her GoFundMe.
“I will continue to speak out at any further attempts, and in defense of dedicated, hard working educators and librarians. We must all remain vigilant, to protect our children’s’ right to be safe and included in our community and to get a good education. We are all stronger and safer when we join together to speak out against their hate and division. It is time to take a stand,” she mentioned.
Find beneath the total textual content of the assertion Jones gave on the Livingston Parish Board Meeting.
My identify is Amanda Jones. I’m the 2021 School Library Journal National Librarian of the Year, a global speaker and advocate on behalf of libraries, and am President of the LA Association of School Librarians. I’m right here as a consultant of that group, however extra importantly as a lifelong resident of Livingston Parish, mother or father of a toddler on this district, and taxpayer. I’m right here tonight as a result of guide content material and guide signage have been listed on tonight’s agenda. I hope that what I’m about to say will not be wanted, and that my concern {that a} member of the board is making an attempt to censor books and signage is unfounded.
While guide challenges are sometimes carried out with one of the best intentions, and within the identify of age appropriateness, they usually goal marginalized communities comparable to BIPOC and the LBGTQ group. They additionally goal books on sexual well being and copy. Considering that Livingston Parish has the very best price of youngsters in foster care per capita in Louisiana, and that quantity has doubled over the previous few years, I discover it ironic that any member of the group would need to restrict entry to any guide on copy or relocate it away from the our youngsters who want it essentially the most. Once you begin relocating and banning one matter, it turns into a slippery slope and the place does it finish?
All members of our group need to be seen, have entry to data, and see themselves, in our PUBLIC library assortment. Censoring and relocating books and shows is dangerous to our group, however might be extraordinarily dangerous to our most susceptible—our youngsters. According to the Trevor Project, “LGBTQ youth are not inherently prone to suicide risk because of their sexual orientation or gender identity but rather placed at higher risk because of how they are mistreated and stigmatized in society.”
Libraries are for everybody. According to the American Library Association, of which I’m a member of,
LIBRARIES ARE A cornerstone of the group devoted to serving the data wants of everybody. As such, they gather and make out there all kinds of data sources representing the vary of human thought and expertise. With such a broad spectrum of concepts and data out there, it’s inevitable that folks will often encounter sources they imagine to be inappropriate for his or her household.
Just since you enter a library, it doesn’t imply that you’ll not see one thing you don’t like. Libraries have numerous collections with sources from many factors of view, and a library’s mission is to supply entry to data for all customers. All library customers have the First Amendment proper to borrow, learn, view, and hearken to library sources, in line with the ALA. If a person is anxious a few youngsters’s or younger grownup’s useful resource or its location within the library, that particular person has the fitting to undergo the library’s reconsideration coverage that’s already in place. Each household has the fitting to find out which library sources are acceptable for its personal youngsters, however people should additionally understand that they need to afford the identical rights to all different dad and mom.
The residents of our parish consist of tax payers who’re white, Black, brown, homosexual, straight, Christian, non-Christian—folks from all backgrounds and walks of life, and nobody portion of the group ought to dictate what the remainder of the residents have entry to. Just since you don’t need to learn it or see it, it doesn’t provide the proper to disclaim others or demand its relocation. If we take away or relocate books with LBGTQ or sexual well being content material, what message is that sending to our group members? Why is your perception system any extra necessary than others’? What might be subsequent in case you accomplish your mission? Parents have a private duty to observe their very own baby’s studying and no one else’s.
The LPL Director Giovanni Tairov has completed wonders for our public library and made it into an award-winning system. There’s a cause the Louisiana Library Association named him the 2019 Public Library Director of the Year. Trust his judgment and people of the opposite devoted LPL staff. There is a stable assortment growth coverage in place. Nobody is placing pornography in youngsters’s sections of the library. Stop that false narrative. The librarians over the gathering have library science levels and use skilled opinions, which checklist ages of relevancy and age appropriateness, earlier than deciding the place to position them within the library. There is already a guide problem course of if a group member doesn’t like a selected guide or location of a guide within the library. As board members, I’d hope you already know that.
To board member Erin Sandefur who positioned this merchandise on the agenda, I’ll say this—You as soon as posted on social media that there are of us who don’t agree with you and that we may be one of your biggest lecturers. That is an admirable assertion. I’d love to show you about how dangerous censorship, guide policing, and agenda objects like these have an effect on our youth and traditionally marginalized group members.
To the complete board, I’ll say this: I grew up on this parish being taught that God is love. What I’ve come to comprehend is that what many individuals imply is that God is love solely in case you have the identical spiritual and political opinions as them. I’ve lived in our parish for 44 years. I’m a mom of a toddler in our faculty system. I’ve been a LPL card holder since 1983. I’ve watched our public library develop to be one of our parish’s greatest property—one thing we may be proud of. I’ll remind board members that regardless of your personal beliefs on the subject of guide content material and placement, to consider this—nobody on the fitting facet of historical past has ever been on the facet of censorship and hiding books. In the phrases of creator Stephen Chbosky: “Banning books gives us silence when we need speech. It closes our ears when we need to listen. It makes us blind when we need sight.” Hate and concern disguised as ethical outrage haven’t any place in Livingston Parish.
Thank you for permitting me to talk tonight.
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