Statement from Maggie Stern, Program and Policy Manager, Youth Engagement on the passage of HB 900 in the Texas House:
In the 1930s, German children and teenagers gathered in public to burn books on the order of their government. Today, Texas lawmakers are stoking the fires of book bans in our own nation, a nation built on the ideals of freedom of speech and expression.
Book bans have no place in America. They have no place in Texas.
Our libraries are havens where countless children see themselves for the first time—where they begin to understand who they are, to put words to any harm they’re experiencing, or to imagine what’s possible for themselves and their futures. Any politician who plays a part in banning books is attacking our youth, plain and simple.
To thrive, our youth need to feel seen. To feel loved. To feel safe learning, growing, and dreaming.
Our democracy depends on it.