The following is a letter and endorsement from Book Riot.
We find ourselves, again, approaching an election season where it is imperative to lend our voices to the call for every American to vote and be heard. The last time we published a political endorsement, we had not yet witnessed the January 6th attack on the Capitol, which resulted in at least seven deaths and more than 150 injuries in connection with the insurrection as well as a shaken nation. Roe had yet to be overturned, placing politicians between doctors and patients and giving states often catastrophic power over the reproductive health and family planning decisions of many. Book bans and censorship had yet to reach a critical point, with political groups standing in front of parents, librarians, and educators, telling them what their children and students can and cannot read. Americans who have witnessed their country’s descent into a regressive age demand freedom and change.
We stand among them and endorse Kamala Harris to be the next president of the United States of America.
When and how to vote in all 50 states.
As a values-driven organization we’ve witnessed and tracked the attack on books and the story of our country. We strive to integrate inclusivity, diversity, and feminism into our everyday work because we recognize the biases that exist in publishing and beyond. It is up to all of us to hear and share the stories of those who have historically been silenced in order to better understand the world and make critical decisions about how we engage with and improve it. It is imperative that we set up the next generation to succeed on a foundation of knowledge and empathy, and to ensure that they see themselves and their peers represented.
Harris has contrasted her party’s desire to enforce gun control measures to protect students and teachers with extremists’ desire to enforce book bans. While these far-right political groups make up a minority of the electorate, they have managed to enforce sweeping policy that has diminished the work of teachers and librarians and parents’ rights. At a time when our freedoms are at stake, we need an experienced representative of the people who believes in the American experiment. As vice president, Harris gave a full-throated defense of reproductive rights; as attorney general, she stood up for homeowners; as president, Harris would offer a fresh and forward-thinking perspective and the know-how to enact progress.
In the words of Kamala Harris, “A patriot is not someone who condones the conduct of our country whatever it does. It is someone who fights every day for the ideals of the country, whatever it takes.”
You can read more about who Harris is and what she stands for here.
The margins in this race are paper thin and Americans will be casting deciding votes about who represents them and what policies shape their daily lives–every vote matters. Be an active participant in making change happen. Hold all of our elected officials accountable through down ballot, local, and federal elections. Let’s show up. Let’s remind the politicians that they work for us. Let’s vote.
