Banned Books & Libraries Under Attack Conference

Freedom to Learn Advocates (FTLA) and CSU|LAW invite you to a day dedicated to protecting intellectual freedom. The conference will be held on Thursday, October 10, 2024 from 9:00am – 2:00pm EST with a reception to follow immediately afterward from 2:00pm – 3:30pm EST.

This conference aims to address critical issues surrounding book banning and First Amendment rights in the United States. The sessions will foster dialogue, raise awareness, and explore actionable steps to protect intellectual freedom.

This event offers you the chance to engage with leading voices, learn effective legal strategies, and discuss how to combat book bans in your community. Whether you’re a lawyer, law student, educator, or community advocate, this is your opportunity to connect with experts and take meaningful action.

**3.5 CLE credits available upon registration and attendance

Why This Conference Matters:

In recent years, we have witnessed a troubling rise in efforts to ban books and restrict access to information in libraries across the country. These actions not only threaten intellectual freedom but also undermine the democratic values that underpin our society. Educators and librarians, who are on the front lines of this battle, face unprecedented challenges from extremists who seek to limit free access to information and ideas.

Our conference seeks to shed light on these issues and provide a platform for dialogue, education, and action.

By attending, you will have the opportunity to:

Engage in Meaningful Dialogue: Participate in sessions designed to foster discussion on the current state of book banning, the fundamentals of free speech, and effective ways to combat discriminatory legislation.

Network with Peers: Connect with fellow advocates, educators, librarians, and legal professionals who share your commitment to intellectual freedom.

Hear from Leading Experts: Gain insights from a powerhouse of national leaders in the book banning and intellectual freedom space.

Speakers & Panelists

Ashley Hope Pérez (Keynote)

Ashley Hope Pérez is a critically acclaimed author of young adult novels. Her most recent novel Out of Darkness received a Printz Honor Award for Literary Excellence and won the 2016 Tomás Rivera Book Award and the 2016 Américas Award. It was also named a “best book of 2015” by Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal and was selected by Booklist magazine as one of “50 Best YA Books of All Time.” Ashley’s other novels include What Can’t Wait and The Knife and the Butterfly.

Ashley completed a PhD in comparative literature at Indiana University focused on Latin American literatures. In addition to being an author, she is a professor of world literatures at The Ohio State University.

Dan Novack (Keynote)

Dan Novack is a distinguished lawyer renowned for his expertise in First Amendment and media law. With a career dedicated to defending freedom of expression and the rights of journalists, Novack has become a leading figure in the legal battles against censorship and the protection of press freedoms.

Dan Novack serves as a vital part of Penguin Random House’s legal team, working closely with editors and authors, providing guidance on how to navigate complex legal landscapes while preserving the integrity and intention of their work. He is a founding member of PRH’s Intellectual Freedom Task Force and was featured in the Wall Street Journal and several other media outlets on his work in the field of intellectual freedom.

Throughout his career, Novack has successfully represented clients in numerous landmark cases, securing victories that have had lasting impacts on media law and free speech protections. Doe v. City of San Diego, Dan Novack won a landmark and precedent-setting case protecting reporters’ rights to cover public events. His legal acumen and dedication to upholding the First Amendment have earned him respect and recognition from both peers and clients.

In addition, Dan Novack is the host of a popular podcast, “Slandertown.” The podcast delves into the intricate world of media law and the ongoing struggles to protect free speech in an evolving digital landscape.

Deborah Caldwell Stone – Executive Director of the Freedom to Read Foundation & Director, American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom

Deborah is a former appellate litigator who works closely with librarians, trustees, and educators on a wide range of intellectual freedom issues, including materials censorship, internet filtering, and privacy. She speaks frequently on intellectual freedom in libraries and is a contributor to the 10th edition of the Intellectual Freedom Manual and the third edition of Information Services Today.

Cheryl L. Davis – General Counsel, The Authors Guild

Cheryl L. Davis is General Counsel of the Authors Guild, where she oversees the organization’s legal affairs, including its in-house corporate affairs and management of literary estates. She manages the Authors Guild’s activities in the book banning area, as well as its activities in connection with diversity in publishing.  She writes about and participates in panels and webinars on these topics; she is scheduled for a panel and a webinar on book banning during Banned Books Week itself, as well as being a panelist in an American Bar Association panel on the subject in November.  She received her A.B. from Princeton University and her J.D. from Columbia University. She holds leadership positions in the following legal organizations: ABA Section of Intellectual Property Law (Literary Works Committee Chair), ABA Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Forum (Arts and Museums Vice Chair), New York State Bar Association, Entertainment Arts and Sports Law Section (Diversity Committee Co-Chair), Dramatists Guild Legal Defense Fund (Board member). She has also been honored by the Lawyers Alliance of New York for her pro bono work.

An award-winning playwright and TV writer, she has long combined her creative passion with her legal work by helping fellow artists. 

Skip Dye – Vice President, Library Sales at Penguin Random House & Founding Chairman of Penguin Random House’s Intellectual Freedom Task Force

Skip serves as VP of Library Sales for one of the world’s leading publishing companies, Penguin Random House. He has more than 27 years of experience in the publishing industry, working in various roles from managing new company acquisitions to special markets.

His core competencies include ebooks, books, publishing, library marketing, data management, and advocacy. He is passionate about supporting libraries and literacy, and he has co-founded several initiatives and awards to recognize and empower teachers and librarians. In addition to being the Chair of the Penguin Random House Intellectual Freedom Task Force, he has been actively involved in lobbying for federal library funding, and co-founding The Corporate Committee for Library Investment, a coalition of over 90 U.S. corporations that advocate for the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Library Services and Technology Act. His mission is to leverage my expertise and network to promote the value and impact of libraries and books in our society.

Lee Fisher – Dean and Joseph C. Hostetler-Baker Hostetler Chair in Law, Cleveland State University College of Law

Lee has served as Dean of CSU|LAW since 2017. He is the Chair of the American Association of Law Schools (AALS) Leadership Section which focuses on the importance of teaching leadership in law schools.

He earned his law degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law. He was the first recipient of Case Law School’s Distinguished Recent Graduate Award, and was inducted into its Society of Benchers. After graduating, Lee clerked for Judge Paul C. Weick of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Lee has decades of experience in legal practice, most extensively with Cleveland-based Hahn Loeser as Of Counsel from 1978-1990 and Partner from 1995-1999. 

He served as Ohio Attorney General and was the first Ohio AG to personally argue cases before the Ohio Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. In 1992, in an ironic twist, he defended the constitutionality of Ohio’s Hate Crime Law in the Ohio Supreme Court, the law that he authored years earlier as a State Senator. As General Counsel for the State of Ohio, he managed the largest law firm in Ohio – a team of 1200 professionals including 350 lawyers, 23 legal divisions, a $50 million budget, and an average daily caseload of 40,000 pending cases. He supervised the writing of over 300 formal legal opinions.

Photo Credit: Photo for The Washington Post by Sergio Flores

Leila Green Little – A rural mom and intellectual freedom advocate who has been fighting against censorship in her local public library system in Texas since 2021. She is the plaintiff in Leila Green Little, et al. v. Llano County, et al., a lawsuit filed by several citizens of Llano County, Texas, to challenge the Llano County government’s decision to remove a large number of books from the Llano County Library shelves because certain library users, county residents, and county officials complained that the books’ contents were objectionable.

Dana Jones – Representative for District 30A (Annapolis and Anne Arundel County), Maryland Legislature

Dana Jones was born, raised, and educated in Maryland. Before joining the Maryland Legislature, Dana spent 23 years working with elected officials including serving as a Legislative Assistant to then-Congressman Benjamin Cardin (MD-3) on Capitol Hill, as a Senior Researcher at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Senior staff at EMILY’s List and partner in her own national consulting firm.

In 2020, just days after a statewide stay-at-home order was issued due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dana was chosen by the Anne Arundel County Democratic Central Committee and appointed by Governor Larry Hogan to represent District 30A in the Maryland General Assembly. Immediately following her appointment, Dana began the hands-on work needed to help her constituents get through the global COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, Dana has been one of the most productive members of the General Assembly. In the 2024 Legislative Session, 13 of the 16 bills she sponsored were passed and signed into law by Governor Moore. Including The Freedom to Read Act, a historic piece of legislation that makes Maryland one of the first in the Nation to protect our libraries and librarians from censorship and harassment. Her legislative portfolio also includes expansive work on election law to protect our democracy, broadening access to telehealth services for students, and supporting our firefighter and EMS personnel.

Dana currently serves on the Appropriations Committee, where she is the Vice Chair of the Health and Social Services Subcommittee, and a member of the Oversight Committee on Pensions. She also serves as the Vice Chair of the Anne Arundel County House Delegation. Most recently, she was elected by her fellow female legislators to a two year term as President of the Maryland Legislative Women’s Caucus, the oldest in the Nation!

Doron Kalir – Senior Clinical Professor of Law; Director, Appellate Practice Clinic, Cleveland State University College of Law

Professor Kalir joined the Cleveland-Marshall faculty in 2012. He runs the Appellate Practice Clinic and teaches courses in legal ethics, federal courts, and contracts. As a Clinical Professor, together with his students, Professor Kalir has been representing under-privileged clients – both individuals and organizations – before state, federal, and immigration courts at all levels, from a municipal court in Defiance, Ohio, to the United States Supreme Court. An Amicus Brief he co-authored was cited by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in a seminal transgender-rights case.

Professor Kalir’s scholarship focuses on Supreme Court practice, statutory interpretation, federal courts, LGBTQ rights, and Jewish Law. His articles appeared in the Notre Dame Law Review Online; the Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy; the Columbia Transnational Law Review, Wake Forest Law Review Online,  and others. Professor Kalir is a volunteer lecturer at B’nai Jeshurun Congregation, where he frequently teaches a lesson on the Portion of the Week; he also serves the legal community by sitting on several Board of Directors, both local and national, and he is a member of the Academic Engagement Network, where he serves on the Speakers’ Bureau.

Professor Kalir was born and raised in Israel, where he completed a full military service before attending law school at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He graduated with an LL.B (cum laude) and LL.M (summa cum laude), and then argued several cases successfully before the Israeli Supreme Court. He later studied and taught law at Columbia Law School, before working in private practice – mostly for Skadden, Arps – in New York, before moving to Cleveland.

Katie Paris – Founder, Red Wine & Blue

Katie is an Ohio suburban mom and 20-year political veteran. In 2019, Katie quit her job in national politics to found Red Wine & Blue because she saw an opportunity to mobilize suburban women. Red Wine & Blue is an empowered community of half a million diverse women working together to organize their communities against extremism, one friend at a time. They provide women with training, resources and a supportive community. Red Wine & Blue has year-round, on the ground organizers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Michigan and Virginia.

Katie Schwartzmann – Director, Tulane Law School’s First Amendment Clinic

Katie returned to her alma mater in 2020 to serve as the First Amendment Law Clinic’s inaugural director. A civil rights attorney with a dense catalog of courtroom work, Schwartzmann previously served as the legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana, overseeing a robust docket of cases challenging impingements on freedoms of speech, the press, religion, civil rights, and assembly. She led cases involving constitutional questions around the separation of church and state, discrimination, due process, unlawful search and seizure, police misconduct and cruel and unusual prison conditions. Under her leadership, the ACLU represented widely diverse voices across the political spectrum, including journalists, police officers, prisoners, librarians, protesters and activists.

Schwartzmann has also served as managing director of the Southern Poverty Law Center and was founding co-director of the Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center in New Orleans. In both capacities, she leveraged class action cases to drive sweeping reforms in Louisiana regarding criminal and racial justice. Among her successes, she led the legal team that won a groundbreaking case in 2012 to advance fair treatment of detainees in the Orleans Parish Prison.

Katrice Williams, Esq., MSSA, MNO – Legal Director, Freedom to Learn Advocates

Prior to joining FTLA, Katrice worked in government, philanthropy, policy, community building and international women’s rights. Most recently, she was the Senior Criminal Justice Fellow for the Cleveland Foundation, the country’s first philanthropic community foundation, and developed its criminal legal reform grantmaking strategy to help combat structural inequities in Cuyahoga County’s criminal legal system. 

Apart from serving in philanthropy, she previously served as a Program Officer with the Cuyahoga County Office of Reentry, a county government agency coordinating reintegration services for currently and formerly incarcerated individuals, and she worked as a policy associate with the ACLU of Ohio. At the ACLU, she focused on mass incarceration, criminal legal reform and voting rights for individuals with disabilities and/or criminal convictions. The jail voting toolkit she published during her time at the ACLU of Ohio is still being used today. Finally, she has expertise in women’s rights, women’s empowerment and human rights from her time with FORGE, a former international nonprofit agency that worked with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Mwange Refugee Camp, Zambia, and by conducting humanitarian projects in Guizhou Province, China, and Johannesburg, South Africa. Having traveled to 28 countries, Katrice enjoys furthering civil and human rights. 

Katrice earned her Juris Doctorate from Cleveland State University College of Law, her master’s degrees in social work and nonprofit management from Case Western Reserve University, and her bachelor’s degree in international relations from Stanford University, California. She passed the Ohio Bar Exam in October of 2023.

JOIN THE FIGHT: OUR NATION’S EDUCATORS AND LIBRARIANS NEED YOUR HELP

Educators and librarians in this country are under attack by extremists who believe in restricting free access to information. People from diverse backgrounds and who are part of marginalized identities are among the most vulnerable to these legislative restrictions. If you believe that all Americans have the right to access books & information, join us to learn about the current state of book banning and censorship, the fundamentals of free speech and First Amendment challenges, hear testimony from those on the front line of these legal battles, and ways the legal community can work to combat this discriminatory legislation.

Our children and communities deserve the freedom to learn.

Freedom to Learn Advocates is committed to ensuring that everyone has the right to access information and ideas. We lead the fight against censorship and book banning nationwide, and this event, co-hosted with the Cleveland State University College of Law—a top institution known for its commitment to excellence and social justice—highlights the importance of this cause. Together, we’re bringing together top minds in law, education, and community organizing to tackle these urgent issues.

Registration Required – RSVP Here