University of Toledo Banned Books Coalition

Home
United States
Toledo, OH
University of Toledo Banned Books Coalition

Directions Website Contact the university

Our mission is to promote our freedom to think, read, create, and communicate to strengthen our democratic ideals.

The University of Toledo Banned Books Coalition organizes events at the university, reminding the community about the importance of the rights to read, think, and create.

10/14/2026

The story of the US is one of immigrants. This July 4th, read our staff-recommended books that are written by an immigrant author or highlight an immigrant story.

10/14/2026

Immigrant stories are American stories. Every voice, every page, every lived experience is part of what America is and has always been.

This World Book Day, I’m reminded of how powerful it is to claim space through storytelling. In writing my own story, "Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen," I’ve come to understand that immigrant narratives are deeply woven into the fabric of this nation.

At a time when immigrant communities are facing fear, detention, and dehumanization, these stories matter even more. They remind us that behind every policy is a person, behind every label is a life, and behind every struggle is the enduring hope to belong.

When you choose to read, reflect, and share these stories, you help make that truth visible. You help build a world where we truly see one another and refuse the language of exclusion.

Happy World Book Day, friends!

What’s an immigrant story that you’d recommend to others to read?

09/21/2026

The UToledo Banned Books home page has been updated with this year's event program. Follow the link and mark your calendar(s): https://www.utoledo.edu/commissions/banned-books/

09/16/2026

Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV wrote that the administration’s reasons for a rule limiting the length of stay for academics and journalists were “exceptionally weak.”

09/10/2026

Successful communication is built on trust.

09/10/2026

09/10/2026

PEN America mourns the loss of Gloria Steinem, the legendary activist and bestselling author who co-founded Ms. Magazine in 1972. “Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions,” the title of her 1983 essay collection, captured the boldness and persistence with which she lived her life.

08/28/2026

In a win for free expression on campus, a federal judge ruled that Florida International University likely violated the First Amendment rights of student protestors who faced disciplinary action from FIU after staging a silent protest against the university’s collaboration with federal immigration authorities last spring.

U.S. Southern District of Florida Judge Jacqueline Becerra temporarily blocked FIU from enforcing any disciplinary actions against the students, stating that “student speech cannot be curtailed unless it materially disrupts the educational mission or involves substantial disorder or invasion of the rights of others." The judge also ruled that the school must “immediately stop enforcing a policy against any ‘expressive activities’ taking place.”

“Peaceful expression that does not materially disrupt the learning environment should never be a punishable offense. Students must be able to exercise their free speech rights on campus without fear of retaliation or censorship. This ruling is a step in the right direction for restoring the climate of open inquiry and free expression that is essential to a thriving campus community,” said William Johnson, Director of PEN America Florida.

Read our prior statement: https://pen.org/press-release/pen-america-condemns-florida-international-universitys-punishment-of-students-for-peaceful-expression/

07/07/2026

Growing up in Queens, Evelyn Cruz rarely heard stories that matched her own. She had immigrated from Mexico with her family at 7 years old and was undocumented. If her classmates in America had simila

06/22/2026

"The lesson from Russia is not that censorship arrives at once. It's that it creeps, step by step, through intimidation, favoritism and legal harassment. It escalates to violence and imprisonment," write PEN America’s Tim Richardson and Kronika’s Anna Nemzer in a new opinion piece in USA Today.

Read "Russia was a cautionary tale. Now US risks becoming it" at: https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2026/06/20/us-free-press-first-amendment-russian-state-media/90525312007/

Address

2801 W Bancroft Street
Toledo, OH
43606

Website

http://www.utoledo.edu/commissions/banned-books/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when University of Toledo Banned Books Coalition posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.