Currently the United States Government is holding thousands of children separate and apart from their families in detention centers across the country. Toddlers are being forced to appear in court without their parents, families are being told that if they apply for asylum they will never be reunited, and the government has done nothing more than offer lip service to the complexities of reuniting these families.
We say NO! We say this is unacceptable. We cannot bear silent witness to this abomination of American society. We will speak persistently, loudly and often. WE WILL NOT BE SHUSHED.
Urban Librarians Unite has been using storytime as protest for many years. We are joining in the rallies to reunite families by offering storytime at protests. Children should be with their families and those families should be able to go to storytime. Every child has a right to storytime.
Please take a look at this document that has suggestions about how you can do storytime at protests in support of these families. On the practical side, there are gonna be a lot of kids at these events and this is a great way to engage families and children in solidarity and support.We hope that one day every.single.one of those kids will be able to attend a great storytime in a local library with their families. Let’s keep a spot open for them. It’s an easy, effective, and powerful way to raise your voice in support of kids and families.
We will not be shushed!