National Library Week celebrates the valuable role libraries, librarians, and library workers play in transforming lives, young and old, and in enriching our communities. Libraries offer access to free books and e-books, movies and newspapers. They host community events and children’s events and storytime hours and education workshops and classes. They often supply access to computers and voting information and special collections and exhibitions. In 2026, National Library Week runs from April 19-25 and the theme is “Find Your Joy!”

Monday, April 20, is Right to Read Day, a day of action to bring together readers, writers, advocates and library fans to take action to “protect, defend, and celebrate the right to read”¹ and express ideas, opinions and freedom from censorship.  The American Library Association (ALA) will start off the week by releasing its State of America’s Libraries Report, which will include the list of Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2025.

According to the ALA, more than 100 pro-censorship bills were introduced in state legislatures from January 2025 to March 2026. And at least 40 of those bills would penalize libraries and library workers with lawsuits, fines, or even jail time for fighting censorship and protecting people’s the right to read.² 

Banning books is wrong. Censoring ideas is wrong. Censoring history is wrong. If we don’t learn from the darkest moments of our history, we are doomed to repeat them. You only ban or burn a book if you are frightened of its contents. If we do not share the good and the bad of our history with our youth, we end up with adults who believe ignorant stereotypes or discriminate against an accent or immediately react with fear, anger, or brutality to the color of someone’s skin. We have seen this in our history, and we have seen it the AANHPI Hate during and following the recent pandemic. 

Stories from the indigenous, AANHPI, African American, and LGBTQ communities are often underrepresented in our school and history books and often the first books to be restricted or censored. These stories help make up the fabric of our shared American story. We need to talk about the past and present. By rewriting or erasing these stories and perspectives, we need to address racism head-on for our collective future.

Fred Korematsu represented his community and championed free speech, civil liberties, and racial equality. Today, the Korematsu Institute is a national organization that inspires educators, students, and the public through Fred Korematsu’s story. At the Korematsu Institute, we believe words matter, we believe history matters and we believe in the power of education to bring about substantive change. Some of our history is difficult, but we need to have the uncomfortable conversations necessary to secure a future of respect, understanding, and safety for ALL of our Americans.

How can you take action against censorship and banned books on Right to Read Day? You can read a banned book. Speak up. Champion the ideas and literature you come across. Support librarians and educators coming under fire for sharing banned books in libraries and schools. Attend school board meetings and PTA meetings where decisions are made. And vote! Decisions are made on the local, state, and federal levels. Be a part of that conversation. Stand up for what is right.

Learn more:
Track Bills Censoring the Right to Read at the ALA’s Adverse Library Legislation Tracker: https://www.ala.org/advocacy/adverse-legislation-states
Read Dr. Korematsu’s Open Letter on Censorship: https://korematsuinstitute.org/open-letter-on-censorship/

Notes:
1: https://www.ala.org/conferencesevents/celebrationweeks/natlibraryweek
2: https://uniteagainstbookbans.org/right-to-read-day/