On Tuesday, February 13 at 3 PM, Oregon lawmakers — through the Senate Committee on Education — are holding a public hearing to hear and recieve testimony on Senate Bill 1583.
Unfortunately, a fringe group using extreme, hateful, and ugly rhetoric has riled up their base, and they’re already opposing SB 1583. We need you to take action today and express your support!
SB 1583 is a commonsense, values-based bill that will protect students in our state from discriminatory book bans and censorship in our public schools. This bill prohibits discriminatory censorship based on race, national origin, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, physical or mental disability, military status, or marital or family status.
Alarmingly, fringe groups with extreme, hateful views are pushing for book bans in Oregon and across the country. The vast majority of material targeted features people of color and women authors and characters, information about racism and slavery, LGBTQ+ identities and experiences, and sex-related education.
Most Oregonians and parents trust librarians and teachers to provide age-appropriate materials in libraries and classrooms. We know that our democracy and youth benefit greatly from having access to the histories, viewpoints, and ideas of the diverse people and communities in our country. We also know that it is welcoming and affirming – even life saving – for young people to see their identities and lived experiences reflected in books and other learning materials.
Please make sure to fight back for our democracy, for youth, and against hate by submitting testimony supporting SB 1583 — tell the legislature that Oregon stands against discriminatory book bans and censorship!
We need Oregonians to tell state lawmakers to protect students’ rights to read, learn, and share ideas – free from discriminatory book bans and censorship!
FILL OUT OUR ACTION ALERT TO SUBMIT WRITTEN TESTIMONY AND MESSAGE YOUR LAWMAKERS — it only takes a few minutes!
- Use this link
- Complete the form with your contact information (aside from your name and city, this will be kept private)
- Edit the message to fit your personal experience — this will be sent to lawmakers directly
- We will upload our prepared message as public testimony to the committee record on your behalf
SUBMIT YOUR OWN PERSONAL WRITTEN TESTIMONY
- Use this link
- Select 'Senate Committee on Education'
- Select the '2/13/2024 3:00 PM' hearing
- Select 'SB 1583'
- Enter your name, email address and city of residence
- Select the 'support' option
- Upload your testimony, either as text or a PDF
SIGN UP TO GIVE VERBAL TESTIMONY — remotely or in-person at the Capitol in Salem.
- Use this link
- Click 'register to testify'
- Select 'Senate Committee on Education'
- Select the '2/13/2024 3:00 PM' hearing
- Select SB 1583
- Enter your name, email, and organization or city
- Select the ‘support’ option
- Select ‘In Person’ or ‘Remotely’ (People there in person are more likely to be called up to testify)
- Upload your testimony, either as text or a PDF
- You can review our 'How-To' for virtual testimony
- Remember that testimony will likely be limited to two minutes, or approximately 200 words. However, it is still very important for you to attend and testify in-person, if you can.
HERE IS A HELPFUL GUIDE WITH DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS, TESTIMONY TEMPLATE, AND SAMPLE MESSAGING.
YOU CAN ALSO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS WORK AT OUR BANNED BOOKS HUB!
