The American Library Association has announced that Carla Hayden, who was fired from her job as the Librarian of Congress by the Trump administration May 8, will participate in a one-on-one conversation with bestselling author Kwame Alexander June 28 at this year’s ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition, set to take place June 26–30 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.
Hayden had been set to attend the convention prior to her firing, which sparked numerous protests, including a rally at the Martin Luther King Jr. Library branch in Washington, D.C., on May 31. Alexander was one of the organizers of the rally, during which he declared, “The firing of our distinguished, esteemed librarian of Congress, Dr. Carla Hayden made it clear to us that the freedom to read, the freedom to learn, the freedom to express ourselves is under attack.”
The ALA said that during their joint appearance at the convention, Hayden and Alexander will discuss the current state of libraries and the challenges library professionals are facing not only in America but across the world, from book bans to library funding.”
Hayden’s spoke out for the first time about her ousting on the June 8 CBS Sunday Morning program. She discussed the details of her dismissal, but didn’t touch on specific library issues.
