Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce the Books Save Lives Act, legislation to combat the rise in book bans. This past school year had more than 3,000 instances of books banned across 33 States, and in my home State of Massachusetts, libraries saw challenges to books quadruple. Let me make it plain: Book bans are discriminatory and harmful, and Congress must unite against them. As a child who endured sexual abuse, when I read Maya Angelou's ``I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,'' it was the first time in my life I knew I was not alone, and it helped me move forward. When I say that books save lives, I mean that. My bill would recognize this by ensuring libraries offer diverse books and treat discriminatory bans as violations of Federal civil rights law. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation for all the people who are saved by books each and every day. ____________________”