Happy Fourth of July! While many forget the significance of our national holidays, everyone understands that this is the day we celebrate FREEDOM! Unfortunately, too many people forget from whom was the original fight for freedom—but the antics of this administration make it hard to ignore that the struggle for liberty isn’t just a thing of the past. It’s happening now, and it’s taking the form of censorship.
A prime example? The surge in book bans across the U.S., which has only accelerated under policies backed by the Trump administration. From Florida to Iowa, tens of thousands of books are being yanked from shelves, most of them for containing themes about race, gender, diverse families, or LGBTQ+ identities—stories that research shows help children read more, learn better, and grow up more empathetic and informed.
It’s not just local school boards making these decisions. In January, the U.S. Department of Education stopped investigating schools that ban books, essentially giving a green light to this modern-day censorship. In April, the U.S. Naval Academy followed suit, stripping its library of nearly 400 books—titles covering everything from the Holocaust to Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
But while politicians are pushing censorship under the guise of “protecting children,” experts in psychology and education say these bans do the opposite. Decades of research show that diverse books are critical to fostering literacy, reducing prejudice, and promoting social-emotional development. Removing these books narrows children’s understanding of the world and, ironically, undermines the very freedom and critical thinking democracy depends on.
Psychologists aren’t standing on the sidelines. Across the country, they’re speaking up at school board meetings, writing to lawmakers, conducting research that dismantles the fear-based arguments for censorship, and partnering with groups like the American Library Association and Authors Against Book Bans to defend access to diverse literature.
They know that the fight over books isn’t just about libraries. It’s about whether we want a country where only certain stories, identities, and experiences are allowed—or one where all children, and all people, can see themselves reflected, respected, and free to learn.
So on this Fourth of July, as we celebrate the idea of freedom, let’s remember that liberty is not guaranteed by fireworks and parades alone. It’s protected by standing up—at the ballot box, in our communities, and yes, even at our local libraries—for the basic right to read, learn, and be seen. If we truly believe in freedom, it’s time to defend it—not just with words, but with action. Go beyond the headlines…
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