Defending Democracy, Truth, and Access: A Joint Call to Action from Library, Museum, and Civic Leaders
These attacks represent a coordinated effort to limit access to information, suppress free speech, and undermine nonpartisan institutions like libraries and museums
In a powerful new op-ed published by Newsweek, EveryLibrary Executive Director John Chrastka joined Celina Stewart, Esq., Chief Executive Officer of the League of Women Voters of the United States, and Marilyn Jackson, President and CEO of the American Alliance of Museums, to issue a stark warning:
The recent executive orders from the Trump Administration represent an unprecedented attack on American democracy by targeting the institutions that safeguard public knowledge, history, and civic participation.
Titled “The Trump Administration Is Not Just Erasing History; They're Rewriting the Future and Attacking Democracy,” the Newsweek article outlines how new federal directives and executive orders aim to cut funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), censor educational content, and erase the stories of marginalized communities from the national narrative.
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The authors argue that this issue extends beyond budgets and agency restructuring.
It represents a coordinated effort to limit access to information, suppress free speech, and undermine nonpartisan institutions like libraries and museums, which serve as cornerstones of civic life.
They emphasize the essential roles that libraries and museums play, from providing shelter during disasters, bridging the digital divide, and supporting voter education and registration.
Programs like the League of Women Voters’ Democracy Truth Project, which partners with libraries to combat disinformation, are among the critical civic initiatives now at risk.
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Together, Stewart, Jackson, and Chrastka call on Congress to intervene, protect funding for IMLS, and defend the right of all Americans to learn, explore, and engage freely. “These aren’t just institutions and programs,” they write. “They are community pillars… and that’s exactly why they’re being targeted.” The op-ed concludes with an urgent reminder: “This is about control—an attempt to control our history, and with it, the future of American democracy. Silence is not an option.”