Librarian supports IMLS at huge protest in Chicago
Retired Chicago librarian Shelley Riskin shared this personal account of the huge protest in Chicago Saturday, April 5, 2025. Shelley was 2006 Illinois School Librarian of the Year Award; Founder, Chicago Area School Library Network.
Many thousands of people gathered in downtown Chicago and throughout Illinois on April 5 to demand Hands Off! our rights and our democracy.
All ages were united in outrage at Trump, Musk, and MAGA’s savage dismantling of the guardrails of our democracy, from disregard of the Constitution and rule of law, to the elimination of health, food, air travel safety and more, to illegal deportations, to the crushing of both financial support and entire departments devoted to education, the arts, museums, and libraries.
Institute of Museum and Library Services
As a librarian, I’m especially furious about the dismantling of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which greatly affects the crucial services that public libraries offer, including assistance to patrons in a variety of areas, a focus on high-quality books and online resources, internet access, summer reading programs, and veterans’ telehealth spaces, among many other services.
The huge April 5 rallies are just the beginning of our resistance, relying on the 3 C’s: “Courts, Crowds, and Courage!”(Quote from Arizona Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes.)
