We are so pleased to join two wonderful school librarians, and members of the @FReadomFighters—Nancy Jo Lambert and Becky Calzada for an interview about censorship, #FReadom, and access to books for children. Along with Carolyn Foote and other librarian colleagues, these women launched the #FReadom hashtag which has trended nationally to the tune of 13,000 tweets!
Their goal: Shine a light on the positive impact that books make as we ensure they are accessible from many diverse viewpoints. These educators inspired us, striving to unite everyone behind the common goal of connecting children with books as we foster their learning and growth. This movement grew in the wake of a daunting number of book challenges and book bannings nationwide in recent months.
Consult the following resources mentioned in this podcast for concrete action items, and monthly challenges to help you get involved in protecting freedom of information and helping people work in harmony with our school libraries to provide the best possible reading experience for students.
1. Find out about the #FReadom movement in this news article. And more here. And here.
2. Find out what you can do to help at the @fReadomfighters Campaigns and Actions page.
3. Find out more about the credentials and expertise of school librarians in these social media posts.
4. Find out more about helpful responses and frequently asked questions on the FreadomFighters website.
5. Follow the @FReadomFighters on Twitter.
Becky Calzada
Becky Calzada is a District Library Coordinator in Leander ISD which is located NW of Austin. She is a Director-at-Large for AASL, an advisory member for The Center for the Future of Libraries Advisory Group, on the Legislative Committee for TxLA, and Past Chair for the TxASL. Becky can be followed on Twitter @becalzada.
Nancy Jo Lambert
Nancy Jo Lambert is a Google Certified Trainer and HS teacher-librarian in Frisco, TX at Reedy High School. She is a presenter advocating for libraries by telling the story of the learning happening in her library. She holds positions in TLA, TCEA, ALA, AASL, and TASL. She was named TCEA Library Media Specialist of the Year the American Association of School Librarians Social Media Superstar Curriculum Champion in 2019. She co-founded #TeachPride, EduPrideAlliance. She is also a #FReadom organizer. She is known for sharing her professional work on Twitter @NancyJoLambert and nancyjolambert.com and her library website reedylibrary.com.
We'll close with a a moving, important quote shared by Nancy Jo Lambert during the interview.
In the words of Rudine Sims Bishop, “Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection, we can see our own lives and experiences as part of the larger human experience. And when there are enough books available that can act as both mirrors and windows for all our children, they will see that we can celebrate both our differences and our similarities, because together they are what make us all human.”