Saphron joins ADC, JVP in condemning LA book censorship

LAPL’s move to deem Palestinian identity as overly political has significant negative education implications.

SAPHRON ADVOCACY

Saphron Initiative and a coalition of advocacy groups are formally challenging the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) following the abrupt cancellation of an author talk featuring award-winning children’s book authors Jenan Matari and Nora Lester Murad. This decision, cited by library administration as an effort to remain apolitical, has sparked significant concern regarding the role of public institutions in upholding the principles of intellectual freedom and the protection of diverse narratives.

The event was terminated following an administrative review of Jenan Matari’s social media advocacy regarding the Palestinian humanitarian crisis. Saphron Initiative contends that a public library’s mandate is to protect and provide access to information rather than curating or excluding speakers based on political preferences. This cancellation is characterized as a targeted act of censorship that undermines the library’s fundamental duty to the public.

The exclusion of these authors communicates a distressing message to Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, and anti-Zionist Jewish patrons, suggesting that their perspectives are unwelcome within the LAPL system. As the largest public library system in the United States, the actions taken by the LAPL influence library standards nationwide. Advocates argue that allowing a public institution to become a tool for censorship dehumanizes marginalized communities and degrades the integrity of the public square.

In alignment with the National Coalition Against Censorship and the ACLU of Southern California, Saphron Initiative and its partners call for the Los Angeles Public Library to reverse its current course and take a firm public stance against anti-Palestinian censorship. The administration must issue a formal apology to authors Jenan Matari and Nora Lester Murad and reschedule their event immediately.

You email LAPL to demand these books’ reinstatement through our ActionNetwork link here.