DOWNLOAD THE FIRST AMENDMENT FIRST AID KIT

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SAMPLE LETTER TO THE EDITOR

When fighting against censorship its important to remember you are not alone. Reaching out for help is one of the first steps when dealing with a banned book. The media can serve as a great source of support. By filling out this form letter and sending it to various newspapers, magazines and other media outlets you can spread the word and form a united front against censorship.

Copy this letter and paste it into your own document:

Dear (Name):

As you know, (Organization) has recently challenged the right of (Book/Author) to be read by the children of our community. In a way, this is an honor—(Book) takes its place beside other books that have been banned, titles including such classics as Little House on the Prairie, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Hamlet, and Of Mice and Men. Certainly, (Book) is in august company.

Censorship—the suppression of ideas or other information that a portion of the population finds objectionable—is an abrogation of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. It is this amendment that guarantees us the right to free speech, and by extension, freedom to read. When censorship is applied to what our children read, even for what appears to be the highest of motives, we teach the young a far more harmful lesson than any work of literature ever could. We teach that the few can disrupt the rights of all. We teach our children that they are not capable of learning to think for themselves, to discriminate and make considered and thought-out decisions. We teach that conformity is worth more than true learning.

This is a lesson we cannot support.

The American Library Association, the American Booksellers Association, the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the Association of American Publishers, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the National Coalition Against Censorship, and The Center for the Book, The Library of Congress are just a few of the organizations that agree with us. So does the Constitution. The First Amendment states, simply and clearly: “Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.”

We are writing to invite your support for our children’s constitutional right. Our children deserve the best we can offer—limitless ideas and the freedom to read about them.

Sincerely,
(Name)

ORGANIZATIONS THAT CAN HELP
The following organizations can assist your defense against attempts at censorship:

American Library Association
Office for Intellectual Freedom
50 E. Huron Street
Chicago, IL 60611
1-800-545-2433
www.ala.org/alaorg/oif/aboutoif

The American Booksellers Foundation for Freedom of Expression
139 Fulton Street, Suite 302
New York, NY 10038
(212) 587-4025
www.abffe.com
www.kidspeakonline.org

American Civil Liberties Union
125 Broad Street, 18th Floor
New York, NY 10004-2400
(212) 549-2500
www.aclu.org

International Reading Association
800 Barksdale Rd.
PO Box 8139
Newark, DE 19714-8139
(302) 731-1600
www.reading.org

National Coalition Against Censorship
275 7th Ave
New York, NY 10001
(212) 807-6222
www.ncac.org

National Council of Teachers of English
1111 Kenyon Road
Urbana, IL 61801-1096
www.ncte.org

People for the American Way
2000 M Street NW, Suite 400
Washington, D.C. 20036
Tel: 202-467-4999
Fax: 202-293-2672
www.pfaw.org

THE FIRST AMENDMENT

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

—The First Amendment

Click here to print out a copy of the First Amendment (PDF format)

DOWNLOAD THE "CENSORSHIP CAUSES BLINDNESS" POSTER