Photo courtesy of Susan DuBose
State Rep. Susan DuBose, R-Hoover
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
The time has come for Alabama libraries to disaffiliate from the toxic American Library Association.
Taxpayer-funded indoctrination of our children has no place in Alabama, and yet that is exactly what we are getting from the oldest library institution in the nation.The ALA has long been a conduit to allow libraries across the country to bring in pornographic and age-inappropriate books, fight against internet filters that block porn access and resist concerns from residents who want libraries to represent local community standards and protect children.
Parents are bullied and called “book banners” by the ALA when they advocate to relocate inappropriate books in children and youth sections of local libraries. These are not isolated events.
Prattville, Madison County, north Shelby County, and Foley have all requested unsuccessfully for libraries to move inappropriate content out of children’s departments. The North Shelby County District library board specifically stated it would not consider a community request to relocate a transgender book display in the children’s section because the ALA considered it censorship.
The ALA is an advocacy association whose membership has knowingly elected a loud and proud Marxist as its president. Emily Drabinski, who took over as the president in July, pushed her political views during her campaign for the ALA leadership post.
“The consequences of decades of unchecked climate change, class war, white supremacy, and imperialism have led us here,” Drabinski said. “If we want a world that includes public goods like the library, we must organize our collective power and wield it. The American Library Association offers us a set of tools that can harness our energies and build those capacities.”
The ALA’s official stance based on its Library Bill of Rights is to oppose all attempts to restrict access to library services and facilities regardless of the age of library users. The ALA stringently and unequivocally maintains that libraries, including school libraries, have an obligation to resist efforts that exclude materials dealing with any subject matter, including sex, gender identity or sexual orientation.
The ALA also continues its fervent opposition to internet filters or “porn blockers” on public computers that may be easily accessed by minors. Marxist ALA President Drabinski tweeted, “Children are also people who have a right to a private reading life.”
The ALA’s goal is to indoctrinate our children without parents’ knowledge or authorization.
Thankfully, we are seeing local and state libraries across the country disaffiliating from the ALA after realizing the damage being done by this activist group.Montana, Wyoming, Missouri and Texas have had their libraries drop membership with the ALA, and six more states — Arizona, Idaho, Illinois, Georgia, Louisiana and South Carolina — are considering withdrawing as well.
I am calling on local libraries in the state of Alabama to consider this action. Let’s bring our libraries back home. Alabamians do not need their local library policies to be influenced by a national organization led by a Marxist.
Our local libraries should not select books based upon recommendations by an association that does not share our community values. The ALA even recommends “gender identity” books for the 0-5-year-old age group.
We must inspire our library boards to consider the bold action taken by the Campbell County Public library in Wyoming:
"The Campbell County Public Library will no longer have any association with, nor be associated with The American Library Association, its affiliate organizations, subdivisions or subsidiaries thereof. No CCPL public funding will be used for any membership, training, informational services or events sponsored by the aforementioned groups or any groups associated with them. CCPL policies will be adjusted to reflect the same.”
If you are a member of a library board, a parent or a concerned citizen, you can fight back. Urge your local library to disaffiliate from the ALA, or consider seeking a position on your local library board.
We are still a constitutional republic governed by the people and for the people, despite the views of the Marxist American Library Association leader.
Susan DuBose represents Alabama House District 45, covering parts of Jefferson, Shelby and St. Clair counties.
