Carolyn Foote

Carolyn Foote (L) with Becky Calzada

Carolyn Foote (L) with Becky Calzada featured in People Magazine March 6, 2023

Carolyn Foote was a member of the Austin, Texas branch of Indivisible as of 2017. She is a "2013 White House Champion of Change".

Carolyn Foote is the co-founder, along with "longtime friend" Becky Calzada and "joined by other silent partners" of #FReadom, which seeks to impose inappropriate books on elementary school children.

'Other Silent Partners

Carolyn Foote and Becky Calzada are the public face of #Freadom, but there are "other silent partners" according to an article praising the women at People Magazine by Abby Roedel dated March 6, 2023.

Fighting to Indoctrinate Children

Excerpt of an article dated December 22, 2021 titled "Some school librarians fed up with book bans are organizing and fighting back" by Nicole Chavez, Evan McMorris-Santoro and Laura Dolan of CNN:

"Carolyn Foote was shocked and angry when hundreds of books about race, equality or sexuality in Texas school libraries were targeted by Republican lawmakers. She and other librarians focused on making their collections more reflective of the increasingly diverse community and their work was now under threat.

Over the past several weeks, the retired school librarian in Austin, Texas – along with three other library professionals – has been spearheading a grassroots effort known as #FReadom. Their goal is to fight back against the wave of book challenges in the state and create a space for school librarians to help each other.

“We wanted to make a statement that we are out here and that we are willing to speak up for our students, for authors and for the books that our students deserve to have access to,” Foote told CNN.

This year, parents and community members across Texas and even some state lawmakers have accused educators of exposing children to books that contain pornography or other obscene content. A number of school officials launched in-depth reviews of their book collections and some have said the process “to make library selections has failed.” School librarians are at the center of this debate and many are worried they might lose their jobs or even face criminal charges.

“Some of the books that people are concerned about have to do with sexuality. We have (state) laws against providing pornography to minors (and) although it’s not happening, librarians are concerned that they will be accused of this,” said Mary Woodard, president-elect of the Texas Library Association.

Books written for children and young adults are facing opposition across the country. In Pennsylvania, a school district banned anti-racism books and later decided to reverse its decision after student protests. Last month, a school board member in Florida filed a criminal complaint over a Black queer memoir.

Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, said there has been an “unprecedented” number of book challenges reported to her office this year.

Since June 1, the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom has tracked at least 155 incidents across the US and has helped librarians navigate the reconsideration process or provided resources to 120 of those cases, according to the latest figures released by the group last month. When asked for an updated number of book challenges reported to the ALA, Caldwell-Stone told CNN the group has and continues receiving new reports that her team hasn’t been able to keep up with their data entry.

“It’s really disheartening to see how frequently we’re seeing censorship used to silence the voices of persons who are traditionally have been marginalized,” Caldwell-Stone said.

[..]

“School librarians do not go into this business to harm kids,” Woodard said. “They are working really, really hard to select books that represent everyone on their campus.”

Becky Calzada, a school district library coordinator in Leander, has been working alongside Foote to bring awareness to the book challenges with the #FReadom campaign. Growing up in South Texas, Calzada says she didn’t see herself represented in books as a young girl.

“I grew up reading the “Trumpet of the Swan,” and “Little House on the Prairie,” I mean there were no Hispanic girls,” Calzada said. “That’s a disservice to kids and so we work really hard as librarians to make sure that kids have books that they can see themselves in.”

Now, Calzada and Foote said they never imagined that mission would get them or other librarians demonized.

Leveraging DEI in the School Library

Carolyn Foote uploaded originally on July 25, 2021 for SXSW proposal

A panel discussion titled "Libraries: Partners in Equity" was organized by Carolyn Foote at an SXSW event.

Description:

"As schools focus on improving Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) for students, we are overlooking a hidden asset - the power of school libraries. Through their accessible resources, instruction, and access for all, school libraries should be a center of equity work. Two campus librarians and district librarians will explore ways libraries are vital supports to equity, inclusion and access and will engage participants in reflecting on how to improve their own efforts."

Speakers:

• Carolyn Foote, Free Range Librarian/Library consultant, Consultant
• Lucy Podmore, Librarian, NISD
• Becky Calzada, District Library Services Coordinator, Leander ISD
• Kathy Ishizuka, Editor in Chief, School Library Journal, Partnerships & Innovation Director, SLJ/Library Journal, School Library Journal

Indivisible Austin

As a member of the Austin, Texas branch of Indivisible, Carolyn Foote, identified as a "TX21 Indivisible organizer", led a "Training: Twitter For Activists" session.

Project Advocacy

"'Champion of Change' Carolyn Foote (center) and President Barack Obama flanked by co-honorees (l. to r.) S. Dallas Dance, Misa Gonzales, and Daphne Bradford. Photo by Joanne Foote."

Excerpt from a 2014 article by Carolyn Foote posted at the School Library Journal:

Our president believes that libraries should be connected. “In an age when the world’s information is just a click away, we’ve got to bring our schools and our libraries into the 21st century,” President Obama said in a ceremony honoring 10 educator Champions of Change in November 2013. As a grateful recipient of that award—and the sole school librarian in the group—I feel even more inspired to bring librarians and educators together online. The president’s remarks demonstrated powerful support for school libraries and their role in connecting students. We must be advocates of that message and show that we can lead our schools in providing students’ online experiences. That means being proficient in this area.

[...]

"As a Champion of Change, I’m going to champion one here. My challenge: make a commitment to get connected, if you aren’t already. Join the vibrant library community on Twitter or Google Plus. Most of us are singletons in our jobs. Join to learn new teaching ideas, discover new books, and better understand the tools your students use.

How do you start? Consider finding a mentor to guide you, whether you’re getting up to speed on Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, Instagram, Edmodo, or something else. Be prepared for a learning curve. Don’t let fear stop you—fear of failure is sometimes fear of embarrassment.

Here are some suggestions for participating, depending on your focus. #kinderchat is a lively discussion Monday evenings about elementary education. Follow @yalsa [a project of the American Library Association ] for info on YA lit, or @nancyjolambert to hear a K–5 librarian share her enthusiasm for edchats and conferences. @buffyjhamilton covers information literacy and other issues important to high school librarians. @sljournal, SLJ’s own Twitter feed, is full of research information, useful links, and news. The more you explore the handles and hashtags out there, the more you’ll learn.

White House Champion of Change

Carolyn Foote on White House Champion of Change site (screenshot)

Carolyn Foote was referenced as a White House "Champion of Change" in 2013 during the Barack Obama administration:

"Carolyn Foote is the district and high school librarian at Westlake High School at Eanes Independent School District in Austin, Texas. Fascinated by the intersection of technology and libraries, she has centered her work on how technology can deepen and transform student learning and research. She has played an introductory role in bringing one-to-one tablet devices into her district, studying the use of these tablets, providing professional development for teachers, and transforming the library into a technology and learning hub for students. An advocate for students and teachers, she has broken down barriers by supporting innovative uses of technology and social media by networking with other librarians and educators online. She has employed the power of professional blogging and to act as a mentor for others in her field."