Fight for the First: Amplifying Voices for Libraries and the Right to Read

Across the country, school boards, library boards, and extremist groups are banning books at an alarming rate, threatening readers' fundamental freedoms and libraries' role in democracy. The EveryLibrary Institute (ELI) is helping local parents, families, and stakeholders fight back. Through Fight for the First, we empower local communities to organize, advocate, and win against censorship. Since April 2023, we have helped over 125 communities and nine statewide organizations successfully oppose book bans and defend the right to read.

Book bans are not just about restricting access to certain titles—they are tools of discrimination and erasure. Regressive political actors use these bans to marginalize communities, limit intellectual freedom, and undermine public trust in institutions. While various counter-efforts have been attempted, many have failed to create sustained, locally rooted progress. Fight for the First is different. We provide the infrastructure, resources, and expertise to turn local outrage into meaningful action, equipping communities to fight back effectively and persistently.

Our approach follows a clear and effective strategy. We identify authentic local stakeholders who are directly affected and invested in protecting access to diverse books. We center impacted communities to ensure their needs and rights are protected, and we engage where we can make the biggest impact, assessing each situation to determine how our involvement can shift outcomes. 

Fight for the First has built and supported advocacy efforts in 125 communities and school districts. This means we have successfully onboarded, trained, and supported an average of five new initiatives each month—more than one new community per week. Our impact is significant. According to our analysis of reports of book bans by PEN America and the American Library Association, we have been directly involved in 55 percent of the book ban fights over the last two years.

We have helped launch nine statewide “right to read” organizations, including the Florida Freedom to Read Project, Texas Freedom to Read Project, Read Freely Alabama, Alliance for Georgia Libraries, Delaware Library Champions, Let Utah Read, Parents Defending Schools and Libraries Oregon, Right to Read Arkansas, and Right to Read North Dakota. These volunteer-led state groups receive end-to-end organizational support, including fiscal sponsorship, compliance assistance, and strategic advising, enabling them to focus on advocacy instead of administrative barriers.

The success of Fight for the First is evident in the books we have helped put back on the shelves and the rapid outcomes we achieve. When we engage with a local group within the first seven to ten days of a book challenge, we can typically halt or reverse a ban within three to four months. However, if a community waits longer before activating us, it can take fifteen to twenty months to restore books and refocus the conversation on constitutional rights. Once books are restored and the immediate crisis is resolved, censorship rarely resurfaces in those communities.

Fight for the First is more than a website or toolkit—it is a comprehensive infrastructure that provides digital campaign tools for organizing, media outreach, and fundraising. We offer personal training, coaching, and guidance for local volunteer-led campaigns, as well as financial support for digital ads and outreach to amplify local voices. Statewide networks are also essential for sustained change. 

In the past two years, 83,000 Americans have taken 96,000 actions through Fight for the First, standing up for intellectual freedom in their communities. Our work ensures that the right to read is not just defended but actively championed. With your support, we can continue this vital work. Every dollar helps build the infrastructure for rapid response, training, and advocacy. Donate today and help us protect the freedom to read.

The fight against censorship is far from over. EveryLibrary Institute is unique among library advocacy organizations because Fight for the First is a full-scale campaign infrastructure, not just an awareness campaign. Our ability to respond quickly and effectively is directly tied to financial support from donors and foundations. With additional funding, we can expand our reach to more communities under threat, invest in modern advocacy technologies for rapid mobilization, and provide even stronger financial support for local and state-level organizations fighting censorship.