The latest report from the EveryLibrary Institute showed the Republican Party's agenda, as outlined in the document known as Project 2025, takes aim at places where students can read, discover and explore. Conservatives call it a matter of accountability.

In Iowa, there are at least 540 public libraries, fourth-highest in the nation. More than 400 are among the scant cultural resources in towns with populations of less than 2,500.

Peter Bromberg, associate director of the institute, said Project 2025, a massive effort to reclassify civil service workers as political appointees, would take direct aim at libraries and the people who work there.

"You know, librarians and teachers are highly trusted and well-known and well-loved in their communities," Bromberg pointed out. "It's really kind of a shocking and extreme attempt to twist our democratic society and our institutions into more of a totalitarian theocracy."

Backers of Project 2025 argued librarians need to be held accountable for what is on their shelves. A bill in Alabama which would have criminalized librarians for allowing content defined as "obscene" narrowly missed becoming law this year. A similar measure has already been filed for next session.

Bromberg pointed out Project 2025 promotes book bans, restricts LGBTQ+ content and undermines the intellectual freedom and inclusivity libraries are known for. He believes it would ultimately threaten a student's educational quality and could presage the end of libraries serving as open and inclusive spaces for people who want to learn. He cited book bans as an example.

"That's the bad news," Bromberg explained. "The good news is, Americans are increasingly becoming aware of what's happening and organizing. And it doesn't often take very much in terms of organizing and pushback -- on whether it's school boards or county councils -- to get the books back on the shelves."

Project 2025, a Heritage Fund initiative, goes well beyond libraries. It would reshape the federal government and consolidate executive power under the president.

The Sage Creek Community Club is 100 years old this year and is one stop on a tour this weekend of similar buildings in the region.

The small, white clapboard structure east of Cody, Wyoming, is an unassuming building tucked in sage brush just off U.S. Highway 14, with a lot of history. In a rural area populated by farmers, the club was a vital hub for community events; often dinners in the basement and country dances upstairs, featuring a live band on the stage.

Cheryl Darling has been part of the club since she moved her family to the area in 1971.

"There's two beautiful historic drops that roll down as curtains for the stage," Darling noted. "One of them is of a landscape scene painted by one of the early, early members. And then the other one is early advertising of the whole Cody country."

The club is the first stop on a driving tour this Saturday of four Bighorn Basin community halls. Halls like these were constructed in the 1920s and '30s, sometimes via Depression-era programs like the Works Progress Administration or the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Darling pointed out the club made the Wyoming Historic Registry last year and is currently in the process of getting on the National Register of Historic Places.

"People can go and see what the history was of these different buildings and how they got started," Darling explained. "It just falls back to the preservation of our traditions and our historical values."

Official historic designations provide funding for continued upkeep so the structure can be used for more modern community events, too, like graduation parties, weddings and 4-H Club events.


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The Association for the Study of African American Life and History is bringing its "Freedom Schools" initiative to Florida as part of a national effort to counter legislative efforts restricting the teaching of major historical topics.

With a rolling schedule, six chapters across the state are gearing up to offer classes focused on African American history.

W. Marvin Dulaney, president of the association, emphasized the significance of the classes.

"We're teaching freedom," Dulaney explained. "We're preparing people to challenge the legislation by these 22 states that are trying to restrict the teaching of slavery, the teaching of the civil rights movement."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis defends the state's crackdown on how race is taught in schools, when education officials rejected an African American studies course from being implemented earlier this year. Classes start in September in Jacksonville, with Tampa, Manasota and St. Petersburg expected to follow.

Inspired by the 1964 Freedom Summer in Mississippi, the Freedom Schools series aims to empower students by teaching eight key areas of African American history, including slavery, the civil rights movement and the Harlem Renaissance. Dulaney argued such topics should already be taught in schools.

"We're going to look at African history, slavery, we will look at the American Revolution, Civil War Reconstruction, race relations in this country in the early 20th century," Dulaney outlined. "We'll look at the Harlem Renaissance, the Black Arts movement, and of course, obviously, we'll do the civil rights movement."

Dulaney hopes educators will adopt the curriculum in classrooms across the state to ensure a comprehensive understanding of African American history, particularly in the face of ongoing educational restrictions. Interested individuals can check their local Association for the Study of African American Life and History chapter websites for start dates and details on the Florida courses.


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Visit a Wisconsin farmers market, and chances are there are products grown by Hmong producers. But like other agricultural groups, the population is aging and outreach specialists hope younger Hmong farmers get the support they need to succeed.

Wisconsin has the third-largest Hmong population in the U.S., according to data from the University of Wisconsin. Only 2% are officially employed in agriculture but researchers suspect the number is underreported.

Yimmuaj Yang, community director for the Groundswell Conservancy, senses a changing of the guard with older Hmong producers nearing retirement. Some of their adult children express interest in taking over but have not been as vocal. She added their mindset is different from their parents.

"Older Hmong farmers, farming is therapeutic for them," Yang explained. "They're making a little bit of money, but also, farming and gardening makes them happy. The difference is that these younger farmers, they want farming to be financially sustainable."

She noted aspiring producers are also bilingual and multicultural, allowing support organizations to adjust their outreach. Yang acknowledged land access is a major challenge for emerging Hmong farmers and her group is working with partners like the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute to create funding solutions to address this problem.

Yang would also like to see policy adjustments dealing with how long a farmer can rent land. There is a new federal program helping with land access but Yang said more support is needed. She feels giving younger Hmong farmers peace of mind might inspire them to further explore what they grow and sell.

"Unlike Minnesota and the Twin Cities, where there's a big concentration of Hmong consumers; in Wisconsin, the Hmong community is, sort of, scattered throughout the state," Yang pointed out.

It means farmers have to focus more on marketing mainstream fruits and vegetables to non-Hmong customers. Yang suggested if groups like hers get more bandwidth to boost technical support, the next generation of Hmong producers will be in a better position to grow culturally specific food.