Freedom to Read NM Update - Start of Short Session
As the 2026 Legislative Session opens in New Mexico, we face a journey that currently sees us standing at the base of a towering mountain. Despite a truly impressive letter-writing campaign over the last six weeks, Governor Lujan Grisham has not added our three bills to her "first tier" of special interest legislation to consider at the session. However, the Governor's office has extended an invitation for the coalition at large to prove that library censorship is a current and ongoing issue in our state.
With this challenge in mind, I ask all members and supporters to answer Governor Lujan Grisham's call with their own stories of how censorship has affected them and their community. These stories can and should be shared not only with the governor, but with your district's senator and representative. Your leaders are here to listen to you as their constituents, and to serve you and the issues you care about most. Why are we concerned about censorship in our state? What have we learned from our neighboring states that are currently struggling under rampant book bans? What can we learn from other states that have already codified these protections? As a reminder, at least thirteen states have already passed Freedom to Read legislation. And the states that have no such protections are currently suffering incredibly harsh and debilitating book bans. What happens if we get a conservative governor next year? What will our state look like if we don't protect it now?
The Freedom to Read New Mexico Coalition will host a read-in on 2/4/26 to celebrate World Read Aloud Day and to remind our leaders of the books we love that are currently at risk of censorship. We ask every classroom, library, business, non-profit, religious group, advocacy group, and family to participate with us. If you can stand with us at the Capitol on 2/4/26 with a beloved book in hand, we welcome you to join us. But we are also counting on participation far and wide across the state. Join in and post about your read-in online. If you use social media, please use the hashtag #nmfreedomtoreadin and tag Governor Lujan Grisham (@govmlg) as well as your district leaders.
We are counting on your involvement and your concern now more than ever. Now is the time to act together and show our state leaders how much we care about protecting the freedom to read.
Yours in truth and freedom,
Kit Rosewater
Freedom to Read New Mexico Coalition Chair