Why is freedom to read so important? I think we take for granted the idea that a multiplicity of voices are accessible to us, and our libraries are places that represent the voices of everyone in the community. There’s a court case called Little v Llano just came out of the 5th district of the 5th circuit court of appeals, the district covers Texas and Louisiana. This court case is threatening one of the most essential freedoms that we have which is a couple of First Amendment precedents that were established in the 60s-70s that say that very thing — that books cannot be removed from the shelves based on just disagreeing with the partisan ideas or the ideas wherein…the threats to these freedoms are very real, and what I try to do is get out the urgent message that we could see the Supreme Court weaken the first amendment as it comes to free expression, as it comes to the freedom to read, as it comes to the ability to read what you want, think what you want about it, write what you want, and I don’t know what could be more fundamental than that. That’s the message I’m really trying to get across.
I am the senior public policy manager at Penguin Random House publishers, where I advocate for the freedom to read to advance our mission of igniting a universal passion for reading by creating books for everyone.
Rosalie (Rosie) Stewart is Senior Manager of Public Policy at Penguin Random House. A skilled grassroots organizer with a passion for youth, LGBTQ+ advocacy, and championing the freedom to read, Rosie has extensive experience working at the federal, state, and local levels on issues including appropriations, intellectual freedom, and voting access. Rosie is a graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government
Most recently, she served as Manager of Grassroots Communications for the American Library Association’s Public Policy and Advocacy (ALA PPA) Office, managing the One Click Politics program and Congressional Fly-In events. Prior to her time at ALA, Rosie spearheaded the inaugural funding cycle of a capacity-building grant program for Interior Design focused on membership expansion and contract lobbying projects. She also co-founded MOVE (Mobilize, Organize, Vote, Empower) Texas, an organization focused on empowering underrepresented youth communities through civic engagement, issue advocacy, and leadership development.
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