Absolutely imperative that everyone make a plan starting now to attend a minimum of 3 school board and/or library board meeting in 2024 in your locality. Reading banned books is nice but that's not going to reverse anything happening. Be present, get others to join you.
I’m the Mayor of a small City. Please also attend your local government meetings. Yes, I know they’re boring, but this is where all those rules and regulations that people bristle about tend to start. I run an open meeting, people are free to chime in within reason, and the input is usually welcomed
One thing you can do without having to risk your health is write letters to editors of local and regional newspapers or op-eds! and you can make calls to politicians' offices and demand they do better and protect their constituents. Calls and letters make a BIG difference over time
*crashes in, Kool Aid Man style*
Also consider making comments on regulatory processes on local, state, and fed level! You can pick an area of interest (e.g. election admin) & submit comments that the agency is required to read and consider in the rulemaking process. Federal Register has fed stuff.
Yes, oh my gosh, PLEASE writer letters to the editor of your local paper. Almost all the letters we get are from a very homogenous print subscriber base.
Yay, yes, please! It seems like nothing at all, but regional politicians always read those (well, they have their interns read them) to figure out who to pander to
This is California centric but here’s a PSA for those who can’t attend board meetings. I’ve seen some effective union letter/writing campaigns at school boards where only the president and a handful of members actually spoke: bsky.app/profile/emma...
Just a local government PSA:
I saw someone on here say they can’t attend school board meeting but want to be involved.
You can always write letters to individual board members or to the board as a whole to enter into public record!
Speaking as a public librarian who has recently worked in several "we'll be fine" places and gets to hear about the others in my 'ultra blue' county from my colleagues, your locality is likely already not fine and the idea that being civilized will save you is why you haven't figured that out yet
Maybe. A lot of these freaks come from outside. Moreover, waiting until there is a problem leads to things like letting them get on school boards, library boards, or city councils.
Some towns directly own libraries (like mine), so attending town meetings (or running for office) is important, too.
you don't have to wait until there's a problem to get involved. In fact, your consistent involvement could help make sure that things continue to proceed in a good way.
As someone currently running for school board—it doesn’t take much. if you’re not already listening to public comment that may be a clue of what is to come.
reading the books… yeah great but in terms of power structures and materials gains that’s like buying a bumper sticker. nothing will happen at the consumer/commercial level
