(MIAMI) — The word “librarians” and the phrase “battle lines” did not ordinarily appear together in the same sentence, until recent years when a right wing extremist movement took aim at censoring books in school libraries and courageous librarians across the country stepped up to stand in its way, sometimes risking their jobs to do so.
The story of this escalating war on books in Florida and Texas is the subject of a powerful new documentary, by Oscar-nominated and Peabody Award-winning director Kim A. Snyder, The Librarians, which debuted in Miami last month with two impactful screenings at Coral Gables Art Cinema on April 6 during the Miami Film Festival, and at the iconic Historic Hampton House on April 8. The film portrays courageous librarians in both states who are leading the fight to protect the freedom to read.
The Librarians is chilling, timely, and deeply moving. At the Historic Hampton House and Books & Books, surrounded by history and literature, audiences were powerfully reminded that the fight for intellectual freedom is part of a much longer struggle for justice.
The documentary was executive produced by actor, producer and independent publisher Sarah Jessica Parker, who will be honored by PEN America at its annual literary gala on May 15 with the PEN/Audible Literary Service Award.
The Librarians is set against a backdrop of mounting censorship efforts—such as the infamous “Krause List” in Texas that targets over 850 books, many centering on race and LGBTQ+ lives—The Librarians follows a group of determined library professionals on the front lines. The film lays bare the links between local school board battles and a broader political agenda fueled by Christian Nationalism.
Following both screenings, Imoderated a dynamic panel conversation with Snyder and a lineup of voices at the forefront of this issue. The conversation following the screenings gave a stark overview of what’s at stake. Librarians are often overlooked, but they are absolutely on the front lines, standing up for our right to read, often at significant personal risk.
Panelists for the Coral Gables event included Reverend Jeffrey Dove, a freedom-to-read advocate and pastor of Saint James AME Church in Orange Park, Florida; Marie Masferrer, board member of the Florida Association for Media in Education and librarian from Manatee County, Florida; and Julie Miller, a librarian from Clay County, Florida.
The after-screening discussion at the Hampton House included panelists Reverend Dove; Roger Ross Williams, an Oscar-winning filmmaker and director of Stamped from the Beginning and Traveling While Black; and Kamila Pritchett, Executive Director of The Black Archives History & Research Foundation of South Florida, Inc.
I am grateful to the Hampton House and Books & Books for hosting the event in such culturally rich spaces, and for the steady reminder that this fight for intellectual freedom is part of a much longer struggle for justice.
Both events drew a packed audience of educators, community leaders, and advocates, all eager to engage in a conversation about the real-world impact of book bans. The discussions offered a stark, firsthand perspective on what’s at stake. Librarians—often overlooked in the public discourse—are risking their livelihoods to defend access to ideas and information.
