Guest Editorial: Alabama Story

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - Who gets to decide what information we share, hear, and consume? Where will the limit lie?

These questions are at the heart of ASF’s upcoming production of Alabama Story, based on true events from 1959, but confoundingly relevant to today’s world.

Emily Wheelock Reed, the real-life librarian at the center of Alabama Story, believed that “the free flow of information is the best means to solve the problems in the South, the nation, and the world.”

What happens when those who challenge that notion find their favorite works on a banned list?

The American Library Association reports that hundreds of books are challenged each year. Though often well-intended to protect groups, especially children, from "inappropriate," "objectionable," or "offensive" content, this type of censorship muddies the waters of whose lives, stories and perspectives matter.

A 2019 Gallup Poll found that Americans visited the libraries more often than movie theatres. Libraries, and librarians, remain one of the most accessible resources for information and knowledge. Alabama Story is a love letter to books and a tribute to the librarians who defend our right to learn and think for ourselves.