Real People, Real History: Censorship

Author Louise S. Robbins will share the story of Ruth W. Brown, a librarian in Oklahoma, who, in 1950, was dismissed from her job after thirty years of exemplary service, because she had allegedly circulated subversive materials. In truth, however, Brown was fired because she had become active in promoting racial equality. Relevant today, Ruth Brown’s story helps us understand the matrix of personal, community, state, and national forces that can lead to censorship, intolerance, and the suppression of individual rights.

American Rescue Plan: Humanities Grants for Libraries is an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA) made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.