ALT I broke down crying twice today while pulling these wonderful books from my shelves. I am grieving the loss (even though it's hopefully temporary) of these books from my collection. And I vow to do everything in my power to get them back on the shelves ASAP. The only solace I have right now is the fact that, despite the removal of all those pictured, I STILL have many more excellent books with BIPOC & LGBTQ+ representation. In fact, our reading theme for February is "Celebrate Black Voices, and we still have so many books by Black authors that the theme displays are overflowing!

ALT Reading everyone's shared grief and horrified reactions on Twitter was oddly comforting. It reminded me that I am not alone in caring deeply about students' access to quality, relevant, & diverse literature. Please support Florida Freedom to Read Project as they support us, the school librarians. Look for ways to get involved locally with what is happening. Right now, in many places, only one side (a vocal minority) is being heard. Let your legislators, school boards, and district administration know what YOU think is best for our students. And maybe send some support to your local school librarians. A lot of us are having a rough year. Thanks for reading.