Pressley Unveiled Bill at Community Read-In Event in Somerville

There Have Been Nearly 23,000 Book Bans in Public Schools Since 2021, and Over 70 Books Challenged in Massachusetts; Book Bans Disproportionately Impact Titles Dealing with Race, Gender, and LGBTQ+ Issues

Bill Text | Read-In Event Photos

SOMERVILLE – Today, with book bans on the rise across the country, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) announced the introduction of the Books Save Lives Act of 2026, legislation to promote inclusive literature, ensure an inclusive learning environment, and counteract the harm of book bans nationwide. In the 2024-2025 school year, there were an estimated 6,870 recorded instances of book bans affecting nearly 4,000 unique titles, and nearly 23,000 book bans in public schools since 2021. In Massachusetts, 70 different books have been challenged in dozens of school districts across the Commonwealth.

Congresswoman Pressley announced the legislation at a community “read-in” event at All She Wrote Books in Somerville. At the event, Congresswoman Pressley was joined by authors, readers, and community members to read their favorite books aloud and discuss the fight against book bans. Joining Congresswoman Pressley at the event were All She Wrote Books owner Christina Pascucci-Ciampa; Akunna Eneh, Librarian at the Roxbury Branch of the Boston Public Library; Luis Quizphe, and Juliet Salameh, a queer Palestinian American healer and interdisciplinary artist.

“From bans on our bodies to bans on our books, Trump and Republicans are stopping at nothing to rip away our fundamental freedoms, censor Black, queer and other marginalized authors, and deny us the right to learn and see ourselves reflected in our literature,” said Congresswoman Pressley. “I was proud to be in community today to introduce the Books Save Lives Act, which would confront book bans head-on by ensuring libraries nationwide maintain a diverse collection of books and classifying book bans as violations of federal civil rights law. This fight is about honoring the brilliance of Black and queer authors, educators, students, and librarians—and it’s a fight for education, democracy, and justice.”

“As we all know, there are escalating efforts to ban books and silence the stories of LGBTQIA+ individuals, people of color, and other historically excluded groups across the country. Scratch beneath the surface and you’ll see that this isn’t about protecting children. It’s about erasing identities and denying people the chance to see themselves and others reflected on the shelf. I know how powerful it was to find queer and diverse books in my local library. It shaped how I understood the world and myself. That access helped me build empathy, pride, and a sense of belonging that I’ve carried forward the rest of my life. It’s also the reason why I opened All She Wrote Books,” said Christina Pascucci-Ciampa, Owner, All She Wrote Books. “It goes without saying, but librarians and educators are trained professionals. So are booksellers like myself. We use our expertise to curate books that reflect the evolving needs of our communities, including books with BIPOC, non-binary, trans, and neurodivergent characters. Young readers are actively seeking out titles with these types of characters. The Books Save Lives Act will be supporting those needs, not restricting them. Stories save lives. Representation matters.”

The Books Save Lives Act would counteract the rise in book bans and help ensure an inclusive learning environment for all students. Specifically, the legislation would:

• Ensure primary and secondary schools have a library with a trained librarian;
• Require public libraries and school libraries to maintain a diverse collection of books;
• Classify discriminatory book bans as violations of federal civil rights laws; and
• Direct the Government Accountability Office to report on the effect of book bans on underrepresented communities.

A copy of the bill text is available here.

The Books Save Lives Act is co-sponsored by Representatives André Carson, Yvette Clarke , Dwight Evans, Maxwell Frost, Jonathan Jackson, Henry C. (“Hank”) Johnson, Jr., Rick Larsen, Summer Lee, Gwen S. Moore, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Mike Quigley, Delia C. Ramirez, Emily Randall, Lateefah Simon, Bennie G. Thompson, Rashida Tlaib, Lauren Underwood, and Nydia M. Velazquez.

Endorsing organizations include We Need Diverse Books, PFLAG National, American Booksellers for Free Expression, Authors Against Book Bans, Authors Guild, Boston Comic Arts Foundation, EveryLibrary, Florida Freedom to Read Project, Hachette Book Group, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Lee & Low Books, Macmillan Publishers, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Sourcebooks, and Students Engaged in Advancing Texas.

“The Books Save Lives Act is an essential affirmation of what we all know: book bans disproportionately target already marginalized groups. Every student should feel welcome in their school or public library, and that can only happen if they are represented in the books on the shelf. American Booksellers for Free Expression proudly stands with libraries just as independent bookstores across the country stand with librarians, educators, and families in their communities,” –American Book Sellers for Free Expression

“Authors Against Book Bans is an organization of over 5,000 book creators across the United States who stand united for the freedom to read. We are proud to endorse the Books Save Lives Act, since books do, as we well know, save lives,” –Authors Against Book Bans

“The Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) stands in strong support of Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley’s Books Save Lives Act. We share her commitment to ensuring inclusive learning environments that honor diversity and protect the freedom to read. Books are empathy machines and ensuring students have access to diverse books will help create a more equitable, just, and kind world.” —Andrea Fleck-Nisbet, CEO, Independent Book Publishers Association

“Book bans are an affront to students’ rights. We deserve to make decisions regarding our education, not politicians who seek to undermine our liberty to learn,” said Cameron Samuels, Executive Director of Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT). “Censorship dictates our understanding of history and what is acceptable, reinforcing an unjust status quo and impacting our futures. Our nation’s youngest generation must maintain the freedom to explore our curiosities, follow our passions, and discover ourselves through the lens of literature. Book bans won’t help students succeed, but empowering students and facilitating constructive collaboration between families and educators will cultivate the future our youth deserve.”

“As parents of students in Florida’s public schools, we know how important it is for young people to be able to explore a variety of perspectives and ideas in the library – extending their learning beyond the classroom. That access is under attack, and it shouldn’t be true that young people in one state have the right to see their lives, their families, their beliefs, their cultural history reflected in the books on their library shelves while others in another state have been told they do not have First Amendment rights in the library. Our Founders believed an educated populace was necessary to protect our democracy, and they guaranteed the right to share and access speech in the First Amendment. This bill ensures that right is protected for every person no matter where they live in these United States,” –Florida Freedom to Read

“Publishers acquire books based on demand. Although school and school libraries have been deeply damaged by book bans, the readers haven’t disappeared, they just no longer have access to the books they need. Diverse books for children was thriving until book bans artificially altered the landscape. No one parent should have the power to decide for other parents what their children should be allowed to read. Putting into law federal protections like the Books Save Lives Act and state laws like Freedom to Read Bill will ensure that censorship has no place here,” –Lee & Low Books

Photos from the event are available here.

Rep. Pressley has been a leading voice in defending diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, protecting Black history, and pushing back against Republicans’ efforts to deny intellectual freedom—whether by banning books or threatening museums.

Rep. Pressley has also led on securing critical funding for museums, arts, and humanities.

In 2022, she secured $207 million in federal funding for both the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment of the Arts, which has supported communities, schools, and small businesses throughout the Massachusetts 7th Congressional district. She also secured $2,505,000 for the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom program in the National Parks Service Operations.

Rep. Pressley has advocated for support for museums across the country that are dedicated to archiving, researching, and preserving the African American experience, such as the National Museum of African American History and Culture. In FY26, she secured $6 million for the Museum Grants for African American History and Culture—including $500,000 for Boston’s Museum of African American History—which will provide such museums the resources they need to build on their work and continue to make history more accessible to the public.

In February 2026, Rep. Pressley led 52 of her colleagues in introducing a resolution to honor Black history museums and cultural institutions in their telling of our accurate, shared American history and protect these institutions from erasure, whitewashing, and funding cuts.

In August 2025, Rep. Pressley condemned Trump’s attempt to politicize, editorialize, and whitewash exhibits at Smithsonian museums—particularly museums and exhibits with diverse and factual presentations of American history.

In May 2025, Rep. Pressley, alongside Congressman Paul Tonko (NY-20), Co-Chair of the Congressional Museum Caucus, led 69 of their colleagues on a letter to the Inspector General of the Smithsonian Institution demanding an investigation on the impact of Donald Trump’s harmful Executive Order attacking Smithsonian museums – namely, the American Art Museum, the American Women’s History Museum, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture – attempting to erase histories of marginalized communities. A copy of the letter is available here.

In May 2025, Rep. Pressley convened a roundtable and press conference at the Museum of African American History in Boston to uplift the vital role of museums in preserving our shared history amid Donald Trump’s attack on cultural institutions and his attempts to erase the documented histories of marginalized communities.

In April 2025, Rep. Pressley delivered a floor speech slamming Trump’s attack on Smithsonian museums and affirming that Black history is American history.

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