Bloomington Freedom to Read Club wins Omar Bonderud award

In a tradition going back to the 1970s, the Human Rights Commission honors individuals and organizations making significant contributions to ensure the human rights of people in Bloomington with the Omar Bonderud Award. This year, the award winner is the Bloomington Freedom to Read Club.

A group of students from Kennedy and Jefferson high schools created the Bloomington Freedom to Read Club to advocate against banning books at Bloomington Public Schools. The club has eight founding members—Kevin Bovin, Nora Rikansrud, Johnny Kerwin, Ayla Rash, Lily Mortenson, Abigale Klevan Schmitz and Mars Colvinand—but grew quickly to several dozen students between the two schools.

Students in the club spoke frequently at school board listening sessions, urging the district to ensure access to books that reflect the entire student population, including LGBTQ+ topics. They went beyond the school board in their advocacy for book access. The students reached out to local newspapers and TV stations to share their story and raise awareness.

In the end, Bloomington Public Schools updated their policy related to the review of books in the school libraries. Even with that win under their belts, the Bloomington Freedom to Read Club continued speaking at school board listening sessions about the need to protect all students no matter their gender, pronouns or sexual orientation. By the spring of 2024, the district had adopted a new gender equity policy for both staff and students.

For more information, visit blm.mn/bonderud.