Advocacy

ABFE Director Chris Finan looks back at some of the many cases in which Michael Bamberger, general counsel of Media Coalition and the first recipient of the Joyce Meskis Free Speech Award, has defended the free speech rights of booksellers.

David Grogan, ABA’s director of public policy and advocacy, will be at the show to discuss any advocacy issues of concern with booksellers.

ABA has joined a campaign to urge Congress to continue federal support of America’s 120,000 public libraries. The campaign will be led by a new organization, the Corporate Committee for Library Investment.

ABA’s inaugural Joyce Meskis Free Speech Award will be presented to Michael A. Bamberger, the general counsel of Media Coalition, on May 31 during the Celebration of Bookselling at BookExpo.

The importance of defending freedom of speech will be discussed during BookExpo programs presented by American Booksellers for Free Expression and PEN America.

Booksellers attending BookExpo are invited to schedule a time to talk at the show with David Grogan, ABA’s director of public policy and advocacy, about any issues of concern.

Booksellers are reminded to contact their congressional representatives to voice opposition to the Financial CHOICE Act, which would repeal a measure regulating debt card swipe fees charged by banks.

ABA is urging booksellers to contact their U.S. congressional representatives to voice their strong opposition to the Financial CHOICE Act, which would repeal a measure that regulates swipe fees charged by banks for debit card transactions.

In the wake of the House’s passage of the American Health Care Act of 2017, health care reform moves to the Senate; however, the Small Business Majority and others are urging Congress to drop the bill.

John Horgan and Jim Ingalls are the co-founders of The First Chapter, a nonprofit bookstore in Leominster, Massachusetts, that employs people with disabilities to teach them vocational skills.

In his remarks at the April 25th PEN Literary Gala, PEN Publisher Honoree John Sargent spoke about the importance of defending free speech.

At Tuesday’s PEN Gala, ABFE director Chris Finan presented a check to Angela Gui, daughter of imprisoned Hong Kong bookseller Gui Minhai. The check included proceeds from the sale of a specially designed T-shirt.

Audrey Eisman, the former coordinator of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, died on Sunday, April 23, following a long illness. She was 79.

Twelve-year-old Marley Dias, founder of #1000BlackGirlBooks, a campaign to collect and distribute books featuring diverse characters to children, was a featured speaker at the 2017 Children’s Institute.

On April 14, the Utah Tax Commission released previously confidential details regarding its sales tax agreement with Amazon, which began collecting and remitting sales tax in the state on January 1.