PEN America’s Freedom To Read Student Summit – A C Bilbrew Library

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PEN America and LA County Library are excited to announce our Freedom to Read Student Summit at A C Bilbrew Library for Banned Books Week 2024! In this convening, high school students will be welcomed to engage with each other and youth advocacy leaders from PEN America in a series of workshops designed to discuss and counter growing threats to the freedom to read in California and nationwide.

Join us in person at A C Bilbrew Library on Saturday, September 21 from 11:00 am – 3:00 pm for our youth activism workshops and catered lunch. At our Summit, student attendees will be able to learn the latest nationwide book ban data collected by PEN America, assess emerging censorship trends, and discuss ways to effectively advocate for free expression and access to diverse literature in our communities.

Our special guests include Sherri L. Smith, award-winning author of Flygirl and The Blossom and the Firefly, and the Golden State Readers, a youth-led group of freedom to read advocates from across California who will discuss their #BreakTheTape caution tape awareness campaign and ways that students can become campaign ambassadors during Banned Books Week.

This event is open to all high school students and is free to attend. Lunch will be provided. Capacity is limited so please register as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected].

PROGRAM ITINERARY:

PARTICIPANTS:

Sherri L. Smith is the author of award-winning fiction and nonfiction books for young people including the 2021 Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Golden Kite Award winner The Blossom and the Firefly, and the California Book Awards Gold Medalist, Flygirl.  Her novels appear on multiple state reading lists and have been named Amelia Bloomer, Junior Library Guild, Children’s Book Council, and American Library Association Best Books for Young People selections.  She also writes comics, including Wonder Woman, Bart Simpson Comics, and James Cameron’s Avatar.  Sherri holds certificates in the Art of Archetypal Fairy Tale Analysis, Enchantivisim, and Applied Mythology.  She currently teaches at Hamline University.  Her new books are the nonfiction American Wings:  Chicago’s Pioneering Aviators and the Race for Equality in the Sky (Putnam) with Elizabeth Wein, and the graphic novel Pearl (Graphix/Scholastic), with art by Christine Norrie.  Learn more at www.sherrilsmith.com

Nicholas “Niko” Perez (he/him) is the program manager of free expression and education at PEN America. Perez leads Next Gen PEN America, PEN America’s campaign dedicated to empowering a new generation of free expression advocates and building a youth advocacy network that can work together to facilitate positive change. Perez previously worked for the Columbia University Human Rights Advocates Program and consulted for the Human Rights Education and Training section at the United Nations. He holds a master’s degree from Columbia University in human rights and humanitarian policy and a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University in international politics. He also was a Global Leadership Fellow at Waseda University in Japan, a Model United Nations advisor at Mira Costa High School, and a forensics researcher for the Yahad-in Unum genocide research agency.

Ayana O’Brien (she/her) is the Events and Operations Coordinator for PEN Los Angeles. She earned her B.A. in International Relations with a minor in English from Loyola Marymount University, focusing her studies on social justice and diversity in the public sector and the literary world. O’Brien is a member of Phi Beta Kappa as well as Sigma Iota Rho, a representation of her lifelong dedication to learning and service. Before joining PEN, she conducted research on the decline of democracy around the world and is currently working on writing which celebrates Black Girl Magic. 

PARTNERS:

Founded in 1912, LA County Library is one of the largest and most innovative library systems in the US. It provides culturally responsive and dynamic collections, programs, and services to meet the literacy, information, personal enrichment, and entertainment needs of all residents across Los Angeles County. 

The Golden State Readers are a growing network of students from across California committed to raising awareness about freedom-to-read issues nationwide. They work locally to educate, advocate, and fundraise to provide diverse and banned literature to students impacted by book bans.

SPONSORED BY:

Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell represents the 2nd supervisorial district of Los Angeles County which is home to more than two million people. The district covers 176.96 square miles and stretches from the south bay to Koreatown. The 2nd supervisorial district also includes portions of 12 cities, 22 unincorporated communities and 56 neighborhoods in the city of Los Angeles.

LA County Library Foundation, founded in 1982, raises funds and creates partnerships to support LA County Library and the millions of children, teens, and adults whose lives it enriches with free programs, services, and resources. The Library is a dynamic and unifying force for Los Angeles County, with the Library Foundation a vital partner.