500 signatures reached
To: Local community leaders and members
Support Brain Lair Books & Other Diverse Independent Bookstores!
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A small, independent bookstore in Indiana is at risk of closing because of the far-right book bans that have swept the state and country. While extreme groups like Moms for Liberty and conservative lawmakers double down on efforts to censor LGBTQ+ and Black and brown authors, independent bookstores are fighting to fill their shelves with diverse books. But they need our help.
Sign the petition to be in solidarity with Brain Lair Books and other local and independent bookstores!
Why is this important?
Brain Lair Books is a cozy independent bookstore in South Bend, Indiana. It's been open since 2018, but over the past year has struggled to stay open due to the wave of book bans that swept Indiana and other conservative states. A law that was passed and implemented this year would criminalize school librarians if they distributed books that were deemed "obscene" or "harmful for minors." Many librarians are self-censoring out of fear, not ordering books for their libraries or classrooms, and local bookstores like Brain Lair Books are suffering. They could close by July—not just devastating to the owners, but to the children and adults who shop at Brian Lair Books, and the small and local authors that depend on it.
And this isn’t an isolated case.
Libraries and schools play a huge role in sales for authors and bookstores. And in cities and states where book bans are being placed, authors and bookstores can suffer a significant blow—even causing a book to go out of print or a bookstore to close. So much so that in Texas, a group of booksellers, publishers and authors banded together to challenge a book ban that would make selling to libraries and schools burdensome and unmanageable. And in North Carolina, Liberation Station Bookstore, a Black-owned children’s bookstore, announced it was closing their downtown location after only a year of being open because of threats and intimidation.
Book bans are at an all time high. And this is part of an orchestrated attack by the GOP and far right. First, they ban books from schools and libraries. Then, they shutter independent bookstores. Eventually, these banned books disappear from the shelves altogether. As we push back against these draconian book bans, we also have to support the local independent bookstores that are on the frontlines—fighting not only to keep their shelves stocked and stores open, but to make sure generations of readers have access to books that make them feel seen, teach accurate history, and spark imaginations.
Urge local community members and leaders to show up and support Brain Lair Books and other independent bookstores!