U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham) tried to play the race card against President Donald Trump recently for allegedly trying to "whitewash our history" by firing the Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden.
Hayden was terminated via email late on May 8. She was let go one year before her term was set to expire after numerous watchdog groups questioned her ability to comply with Trump's priorities and executive orders.
The following day, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt laid out why the president made the decision, saying, "We felt she did not fit the needs of the American people. There were quite concerning things that she had done at the Library of Congress in the pursuit of DEI and putting inappropriate books in the library for children."
Sewell put out a statement protesting the decision, "Dr. Carla Hayden is an extraordinary public servant, revered by both Democrats and Republicans in Congress. As the People's Librarian, she has championed efforts to modernize the Library of Congress and ensure that its contents are accessible to all Americans. And through her historic tenure as the first African American and first woman to hold this role, she has blazed trails for generations of aspiring scholars."
Sewell took issue with how Hayden was let go, "President Trump's abrupt firing of Dr. Hayden is not only an affront to her years of patriotic service, but a direct attack on the independence of a treasured American institution charged with documenting and preserving our American story. It is just the latest in his ongoing attempt to whitewash our history and replace dedicated public servants with loyal sycophants."
In an interview with Smithsonian Magazine, Hayden was clear on her position on parental involvement in books and efforts to ensure that books are in the correct sections of libraries or are not available to children or youth without parental approval.
In a discussion on so-called "banned books," Hayden said, "And what's happening now, that seems to be very targeted to certain types of materials. It's not as broad-based, and it seems to be tied to broader cultural and political movements and much more organized than it was before. It's an interesting time with efforts at censorship. There are groups that don't want, for instance, your children to know about or even think that they are part of, because you are objecting to a particular culture or lifestyle."
She continued, "The books about sexual identity have seemed to be targeted the most recently. And that is concerning in many ways, because when you think about those young adults or young people who are grappling with all types of things in their lives, let's say. And to be able to have access to materials that now are being produced, because just like Judy Blume was at the forefront with certain things that she talked about, and it was like, 'Oh my gosh, thank you.' Here's a book you can give a young person about that."
Sewell ended with, "Democrats and Republicans in Congress should join together and call this out for what it is — a disgrace."
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