Free and open access to information is a fundamental value in a healthy democracy. Launched in 1982, Banned Books Week is an annual event that celebrates the freedom to read. Recently, there have been increased efforts to restrict access to certain books in schools and libraries–particularly those that cover LGBTQ+ and racial equity topics. Banned Books Week aims to draw attention to the dangers of censorship and the consequences of closing readers off to different perspectives, people, and places.
In partnership with Cleveland Public Library, join the City Club for an afternoon discussion on intellectual freedom and censorship with acclaimed author, professor, and political activist Angela Davis moderated by Connie Hill-Johnson, Chairperson, Board of Directors, The Cleveland Foundation and Cleveland READS Co-Chair. Angela Davis is a Distinguished Professor Emerita at the University of California, Santa Cruz and is an outspoken leader in the ongoing fight for racial justice and the prison abolition movement. Her unwavering political activism over the decades has made her books major target of bans and challenges, including Are Prisons Obsolete? and her 2022 autobiography.