Next Research in Praxis event to be held March 27th at 6:30pm. 

Organizing to Win: The Fight Against Censorship in St. Tammany

Winning the fight against censorship requires all of us to pull together for libraries. We need more than just the librarians. Join Mel Manuel and Jeremy J.F. Thompson, founders of Queer Northshore, for a discussion of how the community organized for wins in Louisiana. Reporting from one of toughest spots for book bans in the country, Manuel and Thompson connect the struggle to keep books on shelves to broader struggles for a better world.

Register here 

Speakers: 

Mel Manuel is the Operations Coordinator for the Louisiana Abortion Fund, an LGBTQ rights activist, former teacher and congressional candidate from Southeast Louisiana. After finishing as the valedictorian of their high school class and graduating from Tulane University summa cum laude, Mel lived abroad in six countries before returning to Louisiana. They are the Co-Director and Co-founder of the nonprofit Queer Northshore and a founding member of the St Tammany Library Alliance. They devote their personal and professional time to increasing visibility for underrepresented communities, defending our public libraries from censorship and assuring access to reproductive healthcare for the Gulf South. Mel is looking forward to bringing the first PRIDE parade to St. Tammany county this summer. 

Jeremy JF Thompson is an independent digital strategist with clients ranging from The Rock and Metallica to state and congressional political candidates. The child of a missionary, Thompson experienced life abroad at a young age, establishing a long term appreciation for other cultures. Cofounder of the nonprofit Queer Northshore and the St Tammany Library Alliance, they are dedicated to creating the infrastructure necessary to organize and mobilize groups of people. Thompson is currently campaigning to represent their district on the Louisiana Democratic State Central Committee. They find joy in building community and empowering others to have a voice within communities.