Freedom to Read Day at Manatee UU

On Freedom to Read Day, Manatee UU members will mark the third anniversary of the Warmington Freedom Tiny Library located outside the church and offering free children’s books from Florida’s banned books list. Hillsborough County Library Media Specialist Marie Masferrer* will discuss banned books from librarians’ perspectives, and members will read aloud several titles removed from Florida libraries. A question-and-answer session will follow. Attendees can also browse the next collection of banned children’s books to be added to the library.

In November 2023 the Warmington Freedom Tiny Library was established, made possible through a generous gift from Carl and Ruth Warmington. “It represents a meaningful ministry of our Fellowship and a direct response to book banning in Florida. So far, the tiny library has shared more than 700 books focused on diversity, equity, inclusion, and Unitarian Universalist values, helping to ensure that important voices and perspectives remain accessible to all,” said Becky Smith, President of the UU’s board of directors. This growing community effort continues as neighbors and members contribute their own books, turning the library into a living symbol of shared commitment to learning, justice, and freedom of expression. The event is free and everyone is welcome.

Florida ranks second in the U.S. for book bans with approximately 3,200 book removal instances recorded. Once the nation’s leader in the movement to rid schools of books that some consider offensive, inappropriate or “Just too gay”, is now trailing the state of Texas for that distinction.