On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. speaks with Tracie Hall, executive director of the American Library Association. In February 2020, Hall became the first African American woman to be executive director.
Hall is 10th executive director and 24th chief staff officer of the 146-year-old association. The American Library Association is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with approximately 57,000 members in academic, public, school, government and special libraries.
Hall talks about the history of book bans from the McCarthy era and beyond; how threats to the freedom to read harm local communities, especially BIPOC and the working class, and how parents and patrons can push back on bans.
