Book Saves Lives Act Shows that the Right to Read and Civil Rights are Deeply Connected.

Representative Ayanna Pressley's Books Save Lives Act of 2026 (H.R. 8235) is one of the clearest federal affirmations that the freedom to read is not only a First Amendment issue, but also a civil rights issue.

The EveryLibrary Institute is endorsing this legislation because it reflects what librarians, readers, and advocates across the country already know: campaigns to ban books are often campaigns to erase people.

For several years, the EveryLibrary Institute has argued that censorship efforts are rarely about intellectual freedom alone. The overwhelming majority of challenged and removed books are stories about race, LGBTQ+ identity, disability, religion, immigration, gender, or the lived experiences of historically marginalized communities. These attempts to ban books are not simply targeting “controversial books.” They target the visibility, dignity, and humanity of the people represented in those books.

Sign the petition today and then help us reach more Americans like you by clicking to share it on Facebook, Bluesky, Twitter, Threads, and LinkedIn

H.R. 8235, the Books Save Lives Act, would require federally funded public libraries and school libraries to maintain collections that include minority representation, ensure that schools maintain staffed libraries with trained librarians, direct the Government Accountability Office to study the impacts of book ban campaigns, and clarify that discriminatory book removals may constitute prima facie evidence of civil rights violations under existing federal law. 

For too long, many policymakers and courts have treated book bans as disputes over educational discretion or local governance. But when books about Black history, LGBTQ+ people, disabled people, religious minorities, or other protected groups are systematically removed, the impact extends far beyond collection management. The Books Save Lives Act places these harms within the broader framework of federal civil rights protections, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, Title IX, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Rehabilitation Act. That alignment is both legally significant and morally necessary.

This approach closely mirrors the policy framework the EveryLibrary Institute and our partners have advanced at the state level through our “Libraries for All” model legislation, which centers state and federal civil rights protections alongside state and federal free speech protections in collection development and review policies for public and school libraries. States including Delaware, Vermont, and Colorado have adopted this statutory Libraries for All framework to recognize that library access must be grounded not only in free expression principles but also in civil rights protections and equitable access for all readers. Other states, including California and historically Connecticut, have also embedded anti-discrimination principles into their right-to-read frameworks.

Books about minority communities are not political exceptions to be tolerated by the majority only when convenient or comfortable. These books are part of the full American story. Protecting access to those stories is essential to protecting democracy itself. The bill arrives at an important moment for the nation’s conversation about public libraries and school libraries. Recent court decisions, including troubling efforts to characterize library collection decisions as “government speech” and the lowering of standards about the right to read in schools, have increased the urgency of establishing stronger statutory protections for readers and historically marginalized communities. Congresswoman Pressley’s legislation helps restore focus on the constitutional and civil rights dimensions of access to information in publicly funded institutions.