loading . . . zinneducationproject on Instagram: "“We all have stories to share. Banning books is banning stories. Banning stories is banning existence. Banning existence is banning…" “We all have stories to share. Banning books is banning stories. Banning stories is banning existence. Banning existence is banning hope. Book bans declare some voices, some stories don’t deserve to be heard, to be told. And I cannot accept that. I refuse to believe that. No voice should ever be silenced. No voice should ever be made to feel invisible. Together, all of us in this room, these literary giants, together, we have the joy of uplifting stories. Your stories, our neighbors’ stories in the words of my heroes Mr. Rogers and LeVar Burton. Uplifting and having the audacious honor of sharing stories of Palestine, of Gaza, of the Congo, of Sudan, Jewish stories, stories of Yemen, stories of Ukraine, neurodivergent stories, homeless stories, LGBTQIA+ stories your stories, our neighbors’ stories. Stories out to be shared to be saved. They keep memories, hope, joy, and legacy alive from Hind’s Hall to library halls to bookstore halls. Sharing stories is my favorite way to celebrate one another, to see one another, and to hear one another.” — Mychal Threets, PBS resident librarian and new host of Reading RainbowFor #BannedBooksWeek, Penguin Random House hosted a powerful and urgent gathering at Washington, D.C.’s Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library: the Save Our Stories Supper. PEN America has documented nearly 7,000 book bans in the 2024–25 school year, with many more titles quietly removed out of fear. That number doesn’t account for the growing wave of silent censorship sweeping our schools, where educators preemptively pull books from shelves out of fear—often stories that center people of color and/or LGBTQ+ communities. From these communities and beyond, the evening spotlighted the critical role of storytelling in shaping identity, preserving history, and defending democracy. Read more about the event at https://global.penguinrandomhouse.com/announcements/penguin-random-houses-save-our-stories-supper-ignites-action-against-book-bans/Teachers are fighting back. Join the movement to #TeachTruth at https://www.zinnedproject.org/campaigns/teach-truth/ [linked in bio] https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQEl75WjLmg/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==