Pendleton Event Elevates Right to Read Books of All Kinds

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

A steady stream of families and individuals made their way into the Pendleton Community Center on Saturday for “Read and Rise,” an event elevating an honoring the importance of the freedom to read books without government interference.

“This event is held on this particular day because we are right at the beginning of National Banned Books Week,” said Cynthia Warner, a member of Pendleton Area Advocates for Intellectual Freedom. “We are not in favor of banning books. We think people should be able to read whatever they want to read. And so, we have thousands of books in there to give away here today. We have bags and with those bags you could carry out all the books you could carry. We have books for little kids, middle-sized kids, young adults, adults, whatever kind of books you want. And we also have a table of books that are being challenged in various places in the state of South Carolina.”

The local group has taken an advocacy role in protecting books in libraries, attending library and school board meetings to speak out against the banning of books.

“Many librarians have significant training in how to do collection development for their organization,” said Warner. “They know how to reach their audiences, and when books are challenged, they have procedures for what to do with that. In the last year or two, they have been overridden in many cases. Now school boards are trying to decide what to do about that. And so, we go there and say we think we should observe what the librarians say. And some other people go there and say they want some books banned or challenged or taken away.”

Warner said the group which did not exist two years ago was making progress.

“I would say, yeah, we've made a little bit of progress,” said Warner. “We weren't even there two years ago, and now we're there.”

The event also included a voter registration table, music, food and costumed superheroes.

The Pendleton Area Advocates for Intellectual Freedom (PAAIF) started as a grassroots effort to promote reading and free access to reading materials and to counter censorship, book banning, and restriction of books and materials in both public schools and public libraries. Members of the group regularly attend local and state school board meetings, county library meetings, and county council meetings to express views on intellectual freedom as guaranteed by the First Amendment.

The group’s mission statement is: “Our mission is to advocate for intellectual freedom in our communities, public schools, and public libraries. We seek to preserve and protect the rights of parents to guide their own children’s reading options without limiting the options for others.”

This includes the belief in the rights of individual parents to decide what their own children may or may not read. And that children, teens, and adults should have access to books that reflect themselves, others, and the diverse world in which we live. This includes diversity, equity, and inclusion for all people. The group also states that public school and public library professionals should be trusted to provide age-appropriate, diverse reading materials.

Meetings are held on 4th Tuesday monthly at 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of Pendleton First Baptist Church (except November and December). For more information, contact news.paaif@gmail.com or visit https://advocatesforintellectualfreedom.org/