by In recognition of National Banned Books Week (October 4-10), Amnesty International USA spotlights seven cases internationally, that expose how people around the world are presently punished for their writing, speech, and other forms of artistic and cultural expression. The Herkimer College Amnesty International chapter dedicates the month of October as Banned Books Month. Readers are invited to Make a Difference the entire month.
New This Year: Calling all young artists, writers, and creative voices!
- Enter Amnesty International’s Freedom Pages Art and Literature Competition and use your creativity to speak out for human rights.
- Whether through poetry, short stories, visual art, or missed media, this is your chance to inspire others, challenge injustice, and show the power of free expression.
- Share your voice, spark action, and help imagine a world where everyone’s freedom of expression is respected.
- https://www.amnestyusa.org/campaigns/banned-books/bbw2026/#freedom-pages
- You can draw inspiration from reading the case summaries linked below.
- Deadline for submissions Oct. 31.
This year’s featured cases include a journalist, social media influencer, poet, photojournalist, Indigenous rights activists, and others from the United States, Mali, Algeria, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Iran, the Philippines, and an Indigenous community in Russia—highlighting how diverse voices are targeted for expressing critical ideas. Each case summary has ways to take action and shine a light on human rights.
https://www.amnestyusa.org/campaigns/banned-books/bbw2026/#spotlight-cases
MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Join HC Amnesty International on Teams or contact advisors Pat Frezza-Gressler ([email protected]) and/or Sharon Powell via your herkimer.edu email. Also, individually or with friends, you can work with Amnesty International via https://www.amnestyusa.org/.