Onward through the storm
"Remember professional ethics. When political leaders set a negative example, professional commitments to just practice become more important." - Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny
It's been a tumultuous few weeks for many, including us. In the past few weeks, we've had extraordinary personal moments in the midst of concerning and distressing moments for our work as librarians and our democracy writ large. Some days it's been hard to take in or process the potential impacts. We hope all of our readers are finding ways to cope during this time.
As a team, we recently experienced very profound emotions as the documentary The Librarians, which we've been a part of for the last three years, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Thrillingly, a number of librarians in the film were included in the events around the Sundance premiere, along with director Kim Snyder and producers Janique Robillard and Maria Cuomo Cole and executive producer Sarah Jessica Parker. To sit together in a large theater seeing our professional stories unfold, seeing the challenges we've been through as librarians on the big screen, and witnessing an audience experience these things with us in such a visceral way was so deeply moving. To get standing ovations at the end of each screening, to hear that audience members cried, to read reviews that explain how impacted the reviewer was, to walk through the snowy streets and be greeted with cheers - was all so validating knowing what so many librarians like us have gone through the last three and a half years.
The Librarians documentary truly is beautiful, impactful, and distressing; yet what shines through for us is the courage of librarians - both the librarians in the film and the librarians we know who are courageously doing the work, in both private and public ways, to support our democratic (little d) values. As we walked through the streets of Park City, people would stop and thank us, praise their own librarian, or compliment the film. It felt so rewarding and getting to watch the film together with fellow librarians and friends was such a bonding experience. It was a reminder that there is truly support and strength being in community with our fellow professionals.
In an ironic twist, on the same day as The Librarians film premiered, the new administration issued a statement through the Department of Education stating that "book bans are a hoax." The Librarians film stands in solid denial of this propaganda and will stand, historically, as a rebuke of this claim. But that edict, along with numerous executive orders and the continued heated rhetoric in Washington, particularly around LGBTQ students and students of color and the right to access curriculum, is deeply worrisome. Like many of you, we find it hard to take in all of these actions, and with the sheer volume maybe even wonder how we can make a difference.
First off, self-care is critical. Tear yourself away from screens, walk outside, call a friend or go to a museum or library. Carve out some time for silence so you can hear your own thoughts. Journal about the good things about your work or your week. Savor the special moment in times spent with your friends or students or patrons. Read a whole book. Build a community or join communities who care about the things you care about. But consciously, don’t overdo at the table of media.
Second, our experience at Sundance showed us how many people do care, especially as they become more aware of the realities librarians and students are experiencing. And awareness is a step toward moving into action. Ultimately we want people to become motivated to act, to write a letter to a legislator, to speak at a board meeting, to support students who just want to read. Many people in this country oppose book banning. Feeling it viscerally at the film premiere, we were buoyed to realize that the audience was with us, symbolic of how many other Americans are aligned with us once they know the whole story.
Texas FReadom Fighters believes that families deserve to see their stories on the shelves of our libraries and classrooms, and that each reader deserves to know about their world. We believe that we all belong in our school and local communities. We believe that students possess basic civil rights and protection from harassment. We believe in the power of a librarian, teacher, or author to impact and change students’ lives and to reassure students they aren't alone in this world of varied experiences. We believe in the power of professional librarians to create balanced, diverse collections to serve their whole community. We believe librarians and educators are trained professionals who care deeply about their students and patrons and want to serve them with that care. And we believe in the power of the written word to teach us more about our times and to prepare us for our future.
So we want to take this moment to remind everyone to take courage, and to take nourishment from the support of so many others for your work. Many, many, many Americans believe libraries are central to our communities of learning. Your work is appreciated and we are so proud to be a part of an amazing community of librarians and educators around the country. Let's continue to work together to support creating places where all families belong, wholeheartedly. And let's keep our eye on that prize as a light to guide us through the current storms.
