the american library association, which is a nonprofit created by library and more than 100 years ago, track 273 books that were banned or restricted in 2020 alone. even during the pandemic, when most schools and libraries were closed, the efforts to censor books never stopped. in the past, banned books usually dealt with church accusations of blasphemy or overtly sexual content. but what's telling you about the most recent wave of book banning is the focus on authors who are sharing stories of black or indigenous for other people of color and gender identity. so what does book censorship across the united states tell us about the freedom of thought and freedom of speech in today's america. today we're talking to deborah coldwell stone, director of the american library associations office for intellectual freedom, where she works on issues of censorship at libraries and goldberg bashi, founder of children's media start up in new york called dr bashi, an author of the children's book, p. s. for palestine and brook mixed in a staff writer at changing america, which is part of the hill s

that you hve a, you know, not an enviable distinction which is you have two books on the american library association'srtainly the politicization of american culture is very worrisome because to me a lot of anxiety, and i'm curious, what do you want people to know about the censorship of looks books in america now? >> it is not a bang of honor, for those of us on that list, it's not a badge of honor. people say, congratulations, you're doing something right. yeah, but at the same time there's been access cut for all the young people who might need these books and where they might only get them in schools. you can't for granted there might not be a library or bookstore in somebody's community or a $20 to buy the book because of the bannings. at the end of the day, we claim we want our children to grow up to be better than we are and in order to do so they must have the information that we did not have. so to stop that information makes us all hypocrites and it's something that we should be thinking about. ( applause ) >> stephen: his new book "stuntboy," in the meantime, is available now. jason reynolds

problem for me, enormously troubling. >> people can certainly look up your organization, the american library associationur time and your frankness. we appreciate it. >> thank you so much for having me on. i appreciate it. >>> thank you for watching msnbc reports. i'll be back tomorrow at 2 p.m. eastern. "velshi" is next. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ experience the power of sanctuary at the lincoln wish list event. ♪ experience the power of sa♪ctuary ♪ downy's been taking you back, since way back. with freshness and softness you never forget. feel the difference with downy. [ echoing ] some of us were born for this. to protect people. to help them save. with a home and auto bundle from progressive. ahh. i was born for this. and now it's prime time. cut. jamie, what are you doing? you're not even in this one. i thought it was thursday. sorry. -it is. -i thought -- i thought it was last thursday. age before beauty? why not both? visibly diminish wrinkled skin in... crepe corrector lotion... only from gold bond. >>> good morning, it is sunday, december 26th. while we all witnessed the day of the events unfolding on national

. >> reporter: just since the start of the school year, the american library association has trackednges nationwide. the ala says there's been a dramatic uptick in challenges to books featuring lgbtq and racial themes. >> students like me who are not conforming to antiquated gender roles and how they should express themselves. >> reporter: librarians are starting to fight back. in a very librarian way. >> this week, we're sharing books that were gifts in people's lives, and so i'm going to kick this off by sending the first -- my first tweet from our freedom friday account. >> reporter: carolyn is a retired librarian and one of the founders of the group, freedom fighters. in just a month, it's become the grassroots way librarians under threat find and help each other. >> it's amazing how widespread these book challenges are. people are contacting us, like privately, from all over the country, saying, can you help me? >> scared, nervous, unsure. >> worried they might lose their jobs. >> heard that too. i'm hearing this from my district, they don't know this. what do i do? >> they're f

>> reporter: just since the start of the school year the american library association has tracked more the ala says there's been a dramatic uptick in challenges to books featuring lbgtq and racial themes. >> lbgtyia and students like me are not being harassed in gender roles and how they should express themselves. >> here we go. there it is. >> reporter: librarians are starting to fight back. in a very librarian way. >> this week we're sharing books that were gifts in people's lives and so i'm going to kick this off by sending the first -- my first tweet from our freedom friday account. >> reporter: carolyn foote is a retired librarian and one of the founders of the group freedom fighters. in just a month it's become the grass roots way librarians under threat find and help each other. >> it's amazing how widespread these book challenges are. people are contacting us like privately from aural over the country saying can you help me? >> scared, nervous, unsure. >> worried they might lose their job. >> i've heard of that, too, or i'm hearing this from my district or i've heard this. what

>> just since the start of the school year, the american library association has tracked more than 230s been a dramatic upparticular in challenges featuring lgbtq and racial themes. >> students like me are on how they should express themselves. >> yay. there it is. >> they are starting to fight back in a very librarian way. >> i'm going to kick this off by sending my first tweet from freedom friday account. >> unwith of the founders of the groom freaadom fighters. the grassroots way librarians under threat find and help each other. >> it's amazing how widespread the these book challenges are. people are contacting us like privately from all over the country saying can you help me. >> scared. nervous. unsure. >> afraid they will lose their job. . >> i've heard this but they >> tony: this. what do i do? >> they're facing external pressure. what if i'm called out in a board member or someone is in front of my house. >> librarians helping librarians. so librarians can get back to helping kids. >> i grew up reading trumpet of the swan and little house on the prairie. there were no, you know

>> reporter: just since the start of the school year, the american library association has tracked more. the ala says there's been a dramatic uptick in challenges to books featuring lbgtq and racial themes. >> lbgtq plus student likes me being harassed for not conforming to antiquated notions of gender rules and how they should express themselves. >> here we go. there it is. >> reporter: librarians are starting to fight back. in a very librarian way -- >> this week we're sharing books that were gifts in people's lives and so i'm going to kick this off by sending the first -- my first tweet from our freedom friday account. >> reporter: carolyn is a retired librarian and one of the founders of the group freedom fighters. in a month it's become the grassroots way librarians under threat find and help each other. >> it's amazing how widespread these book challenges are. people are contacting us like privately from all over the country saying, can you help me? >> scared, nervous, unsure. >> they might lose their job? >> i've heard that. or hearing this from my district. they don't know this.

honored by the national book critics circle, the society for featured journalism and the american library associationcheck this out. he has also served as a judge for the pulitzer prize for fiction. since 2013 he has hosted life of the poet. an interview series cosponsored by the library of congress. it gives me great pleasure to welcome ron charles. >> thank you. nancy once wrote each time i get a new book there is a rip chance at this is a book that i will fall in love with. he was encouraged by the possibility of such love waiting for us on the very next page. like most people i first heard nancy pearl when i heard her voice on the radio recommending books. she was funny, she was warm and most of all she was enthusiastic. she immediately reminds me of my first librarian whose voice through my classmates through adventures around the world and across the galaxy. later the enthusiasm for literature came from experience. and titled her memoir girl discovers reading then discovers life. growing up in detroit, nancy found the public library offered a refuge from a difficult home. she was rescued from d

honored by b the national book critics circle value for features of journalism in the american library associationeck this out he's also served as a judge for fiction and since 2013 has hosted life of a poet. the interview series cosponsored please help me welcome. [inaudible] >> thank you pearl once for each time i begin a new book is a really good chance this is the book i will fall in love with. who is not encouraged by the possibility of such love waiting for us the very next page? like no space by first heard ncnancy pearl when i heard her voice on the radio recommending books for npr. she was funny, she was warm and most of all she was enthusiastic but she immediately reminded me my firstug librarian through comedies and adventures around the world and across the galaxy came from experience after all someone entitled the girl discovers reading then discovers life she was rescued from despair by books, libraries and librarians. not too much of an exaggeration to say reading save my s life. the young age she discovered books allowed her to find yourselves and escapein herself. she knew she wan

>> reporter: just since the start of the school year, the american library association has tracked more challenges to books featuring lgbtq and racial themes. >> students like me, who are being harassed for not conforming to antiquated notions of gender roles and how they should express themselves. >> okay. >> here we go. >> exciting. >> yay. >> there you go. >> there it is. >> reporter: librarians are starting to fight back. in a very librarian way. >> this week, we are sharing books that were gifts in people's lives, and so i am going to kick this off by sending the first -- my first tweet from our freedom friday account. >> reporter: carolyn foot is a retired librarian and one of the fo founders of the group freedom fighters. in just a month, it's become the grassroots way librarians under threat find and help each other. >> it is amazing how widespread these, um, book challenges are. people are contacting us, like, privately from all over the country saying can you help me? scared. nervous. unsure. worried they might lose their job. >> if they speak up. >> i have heard that, too. >>

honored by the national critics book circled the society for futures a journalism and the american library associationk this out, he's also served as a judge for pulitzer prize for fiction and since 2013 is hosted life of a poet. erexcuse me an interview series cosponsored by the library of congress. it givesf me great pleasure to welcome ron charles. >> thank you. nancy pearl once wrote each time i begin a new book there's a really real chance this'll be the the very bookoo i fall in love with. who isn't incurred by the perennial possibility of such love waiting for us on the very next page? like most people i first or nancy pearl when he heard her voice on the rate at recommending books for npr. she was a funny, she was warm and most of all she was enthusiastic. she immediately reminded me of my first vibrator's voice drew my classmates and me through comedies and adventures around the world and across the galaxy. later i would learn that nancy's enthusiasm from literature came from experience. this is heaven who entitled her memoir girl discovers reading then discovers life. growing up in detroit,

library is now located, late on the afternoon of july 13th, was one of three riot events that received the most attention in the american and european pictorial press. built in 1843 by the association for the benefit of colored orphans. the asylum is building, with its generous grounds occupied a block from 43rd to 44th street facing fifth avenue. whatever tensions existed between its white benefactor,'s and the city's black community, it was recognized as a prominent, benevolent reform institution dedicated to assisting the cities impoverished black residents. within hours of the riots start, the asylum became the target of a largely irish working class crowd that invaded, ransacked and then burned it down. occurring on the first day of the riot, the plunder and burning of the asylum was among the predominant subject of the print pictorial news coverage. the july 25th issue of frank leslie's newspaper, the oldest of the weekly pictorial's, included a special, double page supplement that contained 13 scenes and, to a lesser extent, tuesday, july 14th, the first two days of the riot. since the pictorial papers were dated by the last day of the week of their publication, these images

to market is currently the director of the lbj library and museum in austin, texas is associate professor at the university of texas. he teaches on americannal history and is the author among several books assuming the burden, europe and the american commitment to war in vietnam. also he is the author of a marvelous short history of the vietnam war which i use in my classes and i highly recommend to others. now is coming out with another book and finishing proofs and that look for it on shelves pretty soon entitled the end of ambition. the united states and the third world in the era of vietnam. and today he's going to tell us about presence of the arab vietnam one who has no reputational problems whatsoever, richard nixon. >> thank you will be very short talk. i would like to never hear me? i would like to start with a story that takes us into the arena of the nixon presidency that may not be terribly familiar. may not be one that springs to mind. the subject is the relationship between the united states and brazil the story begins on december 13 covid 1968. that was the date when the brazilian military eliminated most remaining elements

library and museum in austin, texas. associate professor of history at the university of texas. teaches on american and international history and is author among several books of a"assuming the burden,," europe and american commitment to war in vietnam. and also author of the marvelous short history of the vietnam war which i use in my classes and i highly recommend to others. and now he's coming out with another book, just finishing the proofs on that. so look for it on your shelves soon. entitled the end of ambition. the united states and the third world in the era of vietnam. and to today he's going to tell us about a president from era of vietnam, one who has no reputational problems whatsoever, richard nixon. >> thanks jeff. this will be a very short talk. you're right. i'd like to, umm, everybody can hear me -- yes. i'd like to start with a story that takes us into the arena of -- an arena of the nixon presidency that may not be terribly familiar. probably not one that immediately springs to mind. the subject is relationship between the united states and brazil and the story begins december 1