I have a few ideas for the Issue Brief and want to ensure that the issues are manageable enough to discuss and have enough associated sources.

Idea 1: Public Library Underfunding

Public libraries serve as an important community resource across the United States. They promote literacy at all ages and opportunities to improve technological skills, provide a safe, free space with reliable Internet access, and may even host community events and discussions with local leadership. These programs are typically funded by the US government, and are included in the yearly budget resolution (ALA). This funding is supposed to be equitable across public libraries to minimize the amount of external fundraising they need to do. However, library budgets are often underfunded. In recent years, there have been additional attacks on public library funds from far-right organizations that disagree with the materials contained in libraries. As part of their censorship efforts, they campaign for defunding libraries that carry any “inappropriate” materials (Cineas). I will explore the various functions of public libraries and why government funding should continue, as well as how federal and local governments can bolster support for public libraries.

Idea 2: Affirmative Action

When affirmative action was overturned in 2023 by the Supreme Court, it reversed decades’ worth of progress in increasing the accessibility of higher education for racial minority groups. Race-conscious government policies like affirmative action acknowledge historical inequities like the legacy of slavery, colonization and forced relocation, and redlining practices that have prevented Black, Latinx, and Native American people from having equal access to higher education and accumulating generational wealth (Center for American Progress). While affirmative action on its own will not remedy the larger systemic issues at play, it still provides upward mobility for groups that have historically been underrepresented in universities, and ultimately, in the workforce. I will identify the main reasons that affirmative action was implemented and the inequities that make it continually necessary. I will argue for the reinstatement of some form of affirmative action and cover other options to make higher education more accessible for people in racial minority groups.

Idea 3: Data Collection About LGBTQ+ Communities

There has been a historical lack of data on the prevalence and needs of LGBTQ+ communities in the US due to high stigma and discriminatory policies. However, asking census questions that allow national organizations to collect data about the challenges facing sexual and gender diverse communities is crucial in policymaking, health care, and in advocating for LGBTQ+ equality. The inclusion of questions about gender and sexuality on the US census is a step in the right direction, and this is a policy that can be strengthened and developed in the future (File & Lee). According to the Center for American Progress, there is a need to include questions on sexual and gender diversity in general population surveys and surveys specific to the LGBTQ+ community. It is also important that LGBTQ+ individuals be involved in the creation of these surveys.