More than three years after she became a target of abuse from book banners, librarian Martha Hickson found herself in a place she could scarcely imagine back in the dark days of threats and intimidation: standing side by side with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy as he signed the state’s Freedom to Read Act into law on December 9.
“Martha faced a backlash that no individual should ever experience. But through it all, she remained an unwavering champion for education, for libraries, and for the free exchange of ideas,” Murphy said at a bill signing ceremony at the Princeton Public Library on December 9. “I am proud to say that this legislation will continue her work on behalf of New Jersey's children.”
With the law, New Jersey joined several states that have passed laws to protect the freedom to read, including Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, and Vermont. The bill bars New Jersey schools and libraries from pulling books based on viewpoint discrimination, and requires education boards and governing boards of public libraries in the state to establish and follow clear policies for challenging library materials. And, perhaps most importantly, the law protects librarians and educators from civil and criminal liability for librarians and library staffers for their lawful work.
In her remarks at the bill signing, Hickson recalled her experience.
“As a librarian, the freedom to read has been at the heart of my career, but never more so than when that freedom was threatened, September 28, 2021, the date that I became the target of book banners,” she told attendees. “On that night, a handful of parents called me by name a pedophile, pornographer, and a groomer of children at a school board meeting that has since been viewed on YouTube nearly 6,000 times. They did this because they objected to five award-winning books for young adults, all with LGBTQ plus themes.”
After a monthslong reconsideration process, the school's board retained all five books that Hickson spoke up for. But her ordeal was just beginning. Videos targeting Hickson were posted on various right wing social media sites, which led to vulgar emails and threats. “I received hate mail, antagonism from administrators, and calls for my firing and arrest,” she said. “I have even been confronted on the street, and my car was vandalized in January of this year.”
Rather than shrink from the fight, Hickson, who was profiled in PW's Freedom to Read issue this fall, stood up. And in April 2023, after speaking on a panel, Hickson said a man approached and introduced himself: New Jersey state senator Andrew Zwicker.
The senator asked if there was anything he could do to help. Hickson suggested Zwicker look at Illinois’s pioneering anti-book banning legislation that was, at the time, about to be adopted. That conversation would lead to New Jersey’s Freedom to Read Act, which passed easily, with 23 bipartisan cosponsors across both houses.
In his remarks on Monday, Murphy spoke eloquently about the battle over book banning, and praised passage of the law, which he said will safeguard “the rights of young New Jerseyans to access developmentally appropriate books,” including diverse and inclusive materials.
“Books, as we all know, are the key to fostering a culture of learning that extends far beyond the classroom,” Murphy said. “We encourage every parent to speak up and engage in a good faith conversation if they have any concerns about the materials our state's children can access. But this should always be open, honest, and a civil conversation. We heard Martha share her story. We heard both what inspired her to become a high school librarian, her passion for learning and unlocking the same passion in our kids. But we also heard about the threats she received, the hate mail, and the calls for her firing. Absolutely none of that is acceptable, and it has no place in our libraries or classrooms.”
The bill signing in New Jersey gives freedom to read advocates a much-needed shot of momentum as 2024 draws to a close. The year started with several legal victories on the freedom to read front but ended with the release of Project 2025 and the return of Donald Trump to the White House, which has raised concerns among advocates about what the coming year will bring.
“The Freedom to Read Act was the best gift I could have received this holiday season” Hickson told PW. “It helps ease the pain of the last three years. It helps keeps books in readers’ hands, and gives me confidence that other NJ librarians will not be subjected to similar attacks.” In the midst of an unprecedented attack on libraries and the freedom to read, Hickson said, the law’s passage will force decision makers to “pump the brakes, rather than making knee-jerk decisions to placate a vocal minority.”
In a blog post, EveryLibrary, which helped organize support for the legislation, celebrated the bill’s passage. “It defends against unconstitutional censorship, reinforces the professionalism of librarians, addresses harassment and threats against the profession, and applies long-standing legal protections under New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination to protect library institutions and professionals from harassment and defamation,” the post reads. “It should be seen as a model for other states that want to address unconstitutional censorship in both school libraries and public libraries while protecting the workforce from harassment.”
