One of my favorite passages from the banned book “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas, reads:
“What’s the point of having a voice if you’re gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn’t be?”
In the Summer of 2024, we began a new event series titled, “Banned Book Bingo.” What began as a simple fundraiser has now become one of our most popular events.
The night includes three rounds of banned book bingo, with various ACLU staff and Board members as well as community leaders and activists serving as bingo callers for each round. With often sold-out rooms, many people made new friends and discovered how many of their own favorite books had been banned.
Conversations ranged from local elections to complex issues. We had laugh-out-loud discussions. We discovered books that we couldn’t imagine being on the list and wondered how different our own childhoods would look like had we not had access to these stories of adventure, courage and love in those vital learning years.
For these events, we partnered with Red, Wine and Blue who was gracious in every way from providing bingo resources and prizes as well as serving as bingo callers around the state. Red Wine and Blue is a national community of over half a million diverse suburban women working together to defeat extremism, one friend at a time. They train and connect women from across the country of all political backgrounds – including many who have never been political before – to get things done while having fun along the way. These events would not have been possible without their support.
To date, more than 450 people have attended a Banned Book Bingo event with five more scheduled for 2026. We have travelled all over Ohio visiting 11 communities from Youngstown to Dayton, Athens to Toledo and look forward to adding more communities to the list.
In truth, the biggest takeaway we have found from our Banned Books Bingo events is the desire for community around a shared issue. With censorship and free speech being threatened every day, small acts of resistance can help us feel less alone during times of uncertainty. Sometimes it’s at a protest. Other times it’s over a bingo game. But anytime we refuse to be silent about the issues that matter most to us, we are engaging in democracy. And that is a win every time.
Add “attending a Banned Books Bingo event” to your Bingo card for 2026. Stay up to date on all our upcoming events here.
