MEDIA LITERACY, CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND DEMOCRACY PROJECT:

"The Librarians"

Librarians emerge as first responders in the fight for democracy and our First Amendment Rights. As they

well know, controlling the flow of ideas means control over communities.

In Texas, the Krause List targets 850 books focused on race and LGBTQIA+ stories – triggering sweeping

book bans across the U.S. at an unprecedented rate. As tensions escalate, librarians connect the dots from heated school and library board meetings nationwide to lay bare the underpinnings of extremism fueling the

censorship efforts. Despite facing harassment, threats, and laws aimed at criminalizing their work – the

librarians’ rallying cry for freedom to read is a chilling cautionary tale. Find out more information here.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

George Plater:

St. Mary's Forgotten Patriot

With over thirty-three years as a Foreign Service Officer, David Brown unfolds the story of this largely unknown patriot. George Plater was born and raised at Sotterley Plantation and is counted among the earliest of Maryland's supporters of Independence. He represented Maryland in the Continental Congress from 1778 to 1780, and briefly served as the sixth Governor of Maryland in 1791 and 1792.

In this 250^th Year of American Independence, encounter the story of a modest and, for our times, flawed man whose history deserves telling. Find out more information here.

Historically Speaking is a collaboration between the St. Mary’s County Historical Society and the Center for the Study of Democracy