Dozens of North Carolinians and local advocates read banned books outside of the state’s General Assembly, protesting against several Republican proposals. Tuesday’s read-in, organized by Red, Wine & Blue, included meetings with lawmakers to share concerns about book banning, discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, attempts to erase Black and other marginalized communities in our state, and voting rights.
According to The News & Observer, the group brought several banned books to read outside the legislature.
“I know that growing up, if I had lacked diverse books, I wouldn’t be the person that I am now,” Morgan Taylor, a Greenville resident, told The News & Observer. “I wouldn’t have the same understanding of myself and of my people and of my history.”
The group highlighted their concerns around numerous bills that could directly affect public education and communities across the state.
Recently, state Republicans in the House passed House Bill 636, a bill that targets public libraries and makes it easier for extremists to ban books in public schools.
The bill comes amid a wave of Republican-controlled legislatures passing book ban measures around the U.S., with over 10,000 instances of book banning taking place in 2024 alone, according to PEN America.
Senate Bill 227 and Senate Bill 558 are two anti-diversity bills that violate teachers’ and higher education faculty’s constitutional right to free speech. The bills erase honest discussions about our nation’s history and eliminate programs that helped improve equity.
House Bill 127 would make it harder for North Carolinians to vote by criminalizing organizations that conduct voter registration drives.
“This will disenfranchise voters,” stated Ann Webb, policy director for Common Cause NC. “It’s an extreme bill that will prevent community organizations from supporting other community members directly in registering to vote.”
