Right to Read Night

At a moment when books are being targeted for removal, educators and librarians are under attack, and the freedom to read is at risk, local groups are gathering together across the nation for the Right to Read Night!

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We call on allies of the freedom to read across the country to host a local Right to Read Night during Banned Books Week (October 4 - 10, 2026).

 

Participants will gather for a discussion of our featured selection, Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson! Just one of the thousands of books targeted by censors.

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Raised in South Carolina and New York, Jacqueline Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 70s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement.​

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These community conversations will invite us to think about why the book is important, what attempts to ban it mean for free expression, and how to defend the right to read.

Follow the simple guide in our toolkit to see how you can host a Right to Read Night for your community!

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MORE INFORMATION COMING SOON!