Banned Books Week was established by a coalition of nonprofits including Amnesty International and the American Library Association. Held annually during the last full week of September, the week celebrates the “freedom to read” in the face of increasing literary censorship, according to the coalition’s mission statement.
Betsy Gomez, the coordinator of the Banned Books Week coalition, said their event has become more important than ever.
“In the first eight months of this year, we’ve already seen 681 reported attempts to ban or restrict library resources, targeting 1,651 unique titles,” said Gomez via email. “Banned Books Week has always functioned as an advocacy campaign to inform the public about censorship, and many people remain unaware of the breadth of what’s happening now, so our work remains vitally important.”
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