In chorus with statements on Palestine from City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco, Open Books in Seattle, and other booksellers, as well as open letters from Jewish writers, artists, and activists; Publishers for Palestine; and Writers Against the War on Gaza, booksellers must step forward and add our voices to the call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and an end to Israel’s U.S.-backed genocide of the people in Gaza. 

At a time when in Gaza, authors, poets, publishers and professors and journalists and their families have been killed along with tens of thousands of civilians, at a time when voices for Palestinian rights and culture in this country like Viet Than Nguyen and Joanna Ho have been targeted, suppressed and disinvited to events, when booksellers and shop owners are being subjected to threats, vandalism, and physical violence, we think it is crucial that the ABA speak out loudly. Instead there has been silence. This is not acceptable.

Booksellers are in a unique position to promote and amplify voices from all parts of the world. As institutions across the globe crack down on freedom of speech and expression, punishing those who speak out against the ongoing annihilation of Palestinians, we are using our platforms to educate our communities, demand an end to the violence, and promote empathy for ALL people — the required first step to any lasting solution. We will continue to do this work because it is the right thing to do, and we are demanding that the ABA step up and advocate for what's right with us, as they have with LGBTQIA+ issues and book banning. It's hard to believe that we have to formally protest the way the ABA has handled all of this, but the lack of acknowledgement of the issue in the aftermath of Winter Institute, including the letter from the CEO that essentially ignored the protests made there, has made it clear that they will not act unless their hand is forced. This is an attempt to force that hand.


We are all responsible for holding both our government and the organizations we support accountable for their actions (or inactions) during this time, and we as a collective do not feel like the ABA is doing enough to represent us. In fact, many felt that the board of the ABA actively tried to suppress conversations about the topic at Winter Institute in Cincinnati until they were forced to address the issue by booksellers during the town hall. This is not acceptable behavior from the organization that claims to organize and speak for us, and continued non-action will force booksellers who feel that social responsibility is at the core of what they do to reassess if the ABA is really an organization we want to be a part of.


We echo those who say, never again means never again for anyone. We demand the ABA join us in protesting this injustice, and we demand that it happen now. If the ABA needs ideas on how to make that happen, we would welcome an open discourse, and would in fact be excited to work with the board to make progress in that direction. Thousands of people are dying and being displaced every single day in Palestine, and each day the ABA refuses to join us in denouncing genocide is another black mark on our record as an organization.

This open letter is written both in grief and protest. To our government, the government of Israel, the ABA, and the entire bookselling industry, we say no more weapons, no more death, no more voices under the rubble begging to be heard. CEASEFIRE NOW. End the genocide.