Jump on the Banned Wagon

One mom is taking on book bans in Alabama

Meet Karie and her Banned Wagon: Alabama’s first traveling banned book store.

In March, an Alabama board used a new book ban law to strip state funding from a local library branch for carrying LGBTQ+ stories, labeling them “sexually explicit.” The library ended up removing children’s books for simply depicting families with two fathers or mothers. That included a book about a gay married man who has collected too many chickens and one about a two-father family who get into silly mix-ups while doing chores.

Karie, a mom and military widow, knew she had to do something. So she decided to transform a 1940s Ford pickup truck into a roving banned book store. Her Banned Wagon provides children in her community with books and raises awareness about censorship battles across the state. Here’s what she had to say about it.

“Reading about perspectives and ideas and lives of people different than us is what builds empathy. And, my goodness, we need so much more of that in this country right now. I can’t fix all the world’s problems, but I can do something. I’m choosing this.”

You can read more about the Banned Wagon and support Karie’s efforts here.