Celebrate July Fourth by Exercising Your Rights
Next month, we will celebrate the 248th anniversary of our county’s founding. It is a great time to reflect upon the principles and ideas our founding fathers felt were important enough to fight a war over. Our founding documents—the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution—outline these reasons. It is important to read these documents and understand that some of the principles of our founding fathers are being eroded today.
Among the ideas our founding fathers felt were essential were freedom of the press and freedom of speech. Books are part of these tenets. Although public libraries were not specified in the Constitution, libraries carry the torch for the freedom to read as part of the First Amendment.
The United States has a long history of libraries. In 1790, Benjamin Franklin donated his books to establish a library in Franklin, MA. The public library concept, open to the general public and usually funded by local taxes, was started in 1833 in Peterborough, NH. Since then, public libraries have opened in most cities and towns throughout the U.S. and have become hubs of their communities.
However, the concept of public libraries is now in danger. In Huntington, CA, the town council is considering privatizing its public libraries and allowing a private corporation to curate materials for its library. The right to read, a pillar of our democracy, could be curtailed if a profit-driven company, not trained librarians who are civil servants, were given this authority. This should be an enormous red flag.
Those who threaten our public and school libraries are a small minority, but their voices are loud! The majority need to let their voices be heard, too. One of our rights as American citizens is to assemble peacefully, so if you are comfortable, attend rallies supporting libraries and librarians. Use your freedom of speech to speak out at school and library board meetings.
However, you don’t have to be in the public square to make a difference. There are behind-the-scenes actions that can have a significant effect. For example, use your right to vote, especially in local elections, to ensure that government positions are filled with people who share your values. Contact our local politicians to express your opinions. Donate time and/or money to organizations that support libraries and librarians.
Use this upcoming celebration of our country to embrace and use some of the many rights our country affords us!