Freedom to Read Event Produces Large Turnout

Efforts to limit books that schools and libraries may include took center stage Saturday, January 25, 2025. Ninety Oconee and Pickens Counties residents gathered at the Central Library to hear Josh Malkin, Advocacy Director, ACLU of South Carolina, SC. Malkin’s talk ranged from censorship bills in the SC Legislature and how best to approach Legislators on this issue. He also stressed the importance of freedom to read advocates experiencing themselves as part of a larger statewide community — working, learning, and finding joy in their collective efforts.

With respect to school and library books, parents already have considerable leverage to register a complaint and limit their child’s exposure to books to which the parent objects. "Further, many parents view book banning efforts as limiting their choice to choose books for their children," Malkin said. 

In addition to censorship actions by the State Board of Education and some local school and library boards, he emphasized the current school voucher bill that would fund education in private and religious schools. Among other objections, he stated, “A big problem with the bill is that local public schools are very dependent on state funding and receive relatively little local funds. If state money is allowed to follow students to private/religious schools, that depletes monies of already strapped local public schools.”

CAFE is going into its third year of advocacy in Pickens County, attending and testifying at meetings of the County Council, School Board and Library Board. Now, residents of Oconee County have joined the efforts with Gordon Crain of Seneca as their representative. He spoke to the group of the relative calm in Oconee County over censorship. He attributed that in part to the policy manual of the Library Board of Trustees. However, composition of the Board has just changed with the replacing of five members by the County Board. CAFE–Oconee is also monitoring the responses of the School District of Oconee County to initiatives of the State Board of Education, according to Crain.  

An additional group, Advocates for Intellectual Freedom, is advocating in Pendleton. It is represented by Mona Fleming and Suzanne Morse.

The meeting was co-sponsored by a coalition of seven organizations:
Community Advocates for Education (CAFE), LWV of Oconee and Pickens Counties,
NAACP of Oconee County, NAACP of Pickens County,
ACLU of SC, E3 Foundation, and Pro-Truth SC.