Dear Friends,
This week is Banned Books Week, a time to renew our commitment to protecting the freedom to read. The theme for this year is "Freed Between the Lines." We can find freedom in the pages of a book, but book bans and censorship threaten not only public education and libraries but also the future of our democracy.
While books have been and continue to be banned, part of the Banned Books Week celebration is the fact that, in a majority of cases, the books have remained available. This happens only thanks to the coordinated efforts of librarians, teachers, students, and community members who stand up and speak out for the freedom to read.
In recent years, we have witnessed a disturbing trend across Texas and the nation: attempts to ban books, change school curriculums, and undermine Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. These efforts threaten our freedom of expression and directly attack the principles of equality, justice, and understanding.
In the Houston Independent School District (HISD), this attack on our fundamental rights and history has hit home in a particularly devastating way. 166 out of 274 Houston ISD schools now lack functioning libraries, primarily in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. Many librarians have had their positions eliminated, and over 110 school libraries have been removed to make room for detention centers in majority Black and Brown schools. These actions further exacerbate educational inequities that we have worked hard to eradicate.
Know that in Harris County, we continue to fight back. In 2023, the Harris County Commissioners Court officially designated the Harris County Public Library (HCPL) system as a "book sanctuary." This declaration signifies our unwavering dedication to safeguarding your constitutional right to read as you choose and to continue protecting endangered books by making them available to the public. Our libraries are sanctuaries of knowledge and enlightenment, where diversity of thought is celebrated, not suppressed.
The book sanctuary designation has, in part, inspired one of our dozens of murals in downtown Houston. My office, in partnership with Street Art for Mankind, has worked with artist D*Face to convey the importance of books in supporting a diversity of opinions, tolerance, and freedom of speech through visual art in the “Books and Freedom” mural at 1111 Main St. I am proud to continue to sponsor public art projects like this one that highlight our collective struggles for freedom.
As we celebrate Banned Book Week, let us pledge to continue the fight against those who seek to write our stories of resistance out of history and limit our access to the rich tapestry of human experiences. I encourage you to visit HCPL to explore its collection. Let us defend our right to read freely, learn openly, and embrace the rich mosaic of voices that make up our community.
Together, we can ensure that our libraries remain beacons of enlightenment and that our community remains resilient in the face of adversity.
Sincerely,
Rodney Ellis