The Arkansas Right to Read Project is a nonpartisan grassroots coalition of concerned Arkansans working to protect the intellectual freedom rights of every Arkansan. The coalition opposes the current movement to ban books from Arkansas libraries based on content subjectively deemed inappropriate. Both the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and Article 2 Section 6 of the Arkansas Constitution guarantee your right to read what you want without government interference. The purpose of this project is to educate the public and to oppose any current or future legislation, regulations, or executive orders that unconstitutionally infringe upon your rights.
Our Mission
Our mission is to ensure that every Arkansan has the freedom to make their own choices for themselves and their families in what they read. We work to achieve this goal by:
- Informing legislators and the public of the dangers and costs of censorship
- Rejecting censorship issues and defeating defunding campaigns
- Advocating for policies that promote literacy
- Raising awareness about the importance of reading
Our Story
The Arkansas Right to Read Project was born out of the bipartisan effort to stop Act 372 and similar legislation that harms our constitutionally protected rights to access information. Members of the Arkansas Right to Read Project include numerous plaintiffs in the case Fayetteville Public Library v. Crawford County, educators, litigators, library advocates, teachers, students, and, of course, librarians.
How You Can Help
There are many ways you can help us continue our work:
- Donate to our organization
- Volunteer your time
- Advocate for literacy in your community
- Spread the word about our organization