Seven former National Ambassadors for Young People’s Literature have condemned President Donald Trump’s firing of Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden.
Hayden, the first woman and first Black person to hold the position, was fired earlier this month in an email from the White House Presidential Personnel Office. No reason was given for her dismissal.
In a statement, former ambassadors Jon Scieszka, Katherine Paterson, Kate DiCamillo, Gene Luen Yang, Jacqueline Woodson, Jason Reynolds, and Meg Medina said, “As advocates for the reading lives of children and their families, we believe in promoting libraries as places for young people to learn, grow, and connect. Through Dr. Hayden’s innovative leadership, the Library—a research institution with the largest holdings in the world—served as a national model of how all libraries could engage a new generation. Her wisdom and vision, along with her unfailing ability to work impartially with all constituents, are unparalleled. Dr. Hayden’s dismissal is deeply disturbing and should alarm all Americans. We urge everyone who values our libraries and our foundational principles to contact their leaders in Congress now.”
Publishers Weekly reports that the statement was the idea of Medina, who held the position from 2023 to 2024. “It felt to me personally such a travesty—I lost my breath, I could feel my chest squeeze, it was so unjust.…It feels like a remarkably bad mistake.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
