The pandemic’s at-home video classrooms alerted parents to the public-school system’s left-wing indoctrination agenda, openly promoted by the National Education Association. It doesn’t stop there. Parents, check the children’s book section in your neighborhood libraries.

Colorado Springs City Councilman Dave Donelson took a stand last week when he voted against a simple resolution honoring John Spears, the departing director of the Pikes Peak Library District. After opposing the resolution, Donelson admonished Spears for slamming Colorado Springs on his way out for a new job in Buffalo, N.Y.

At issue was a Feb. 18 Gazette article that quoted Spears saying, “I have defended Colorado Springs. I don’t know that I can do that anymore.”

Spears criticized voters for electing conservatives to Colorado Springs school boards in November who oppose critical race theory (CRT) and other racially divisive diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) agendas. Spears resigned in February after the City Council and El Paso County Commission appointed two members to the library board who plan to counter what they consider excessive politicization of libraries under Spears’ direction.

“My concern is when sincere citizens think we need to change directions … they are characterized as a threat to our freedom of speech,” Donelson said to Spears. “You try to silence them by saying they’re a threat to freedom of speech, freedom of expression.”

Donelson told a member of The Gazette’s editorial board he was polite and holding his tongue during the meeting.

“I tactfully did not bring up a lot of my concerns during his going-away party,” Donelson said of the meeting.

Donelson blasts Spears for spending more than six years turning the district’s libraries into “indoctrination centers” pushing left-wing ideologies. Meanwhile, Spears censored a popular library program in Monument and other traditional content.

“Most adults in our community are completely unaware of this,” Donelson said.

The councilman blames Spears for allowing “Drag Queen Story Time” at the Penrose Library, featuring Drag Queen Sarah Bellum reading stories to children. He blames Spears for libraries providing children with take-home RuPaul drag-queen paper doll kits.

Donelson provided a list of books the library district promotes as “age-appropriate” for children 12 and under. Titles include: “Anti-racist Baby;” “Feminist Baby;” “Feminist Baby Finds Her Voice;” “Woke Baby;” “Pride Baby;” and more.

The councilman isn’t trying to “burn,” “censor” or otherwise eliminate books. He merely questions why a man so defensive of progressive open-mindedness denounces those who prioritize traditional disciplines. He has a point. Freedom of speech, academic and intellectual freedom require tolerance of limitless diverse views.

Liz Turner worked for the library district for nine years. She recently left in response to her mounting frustration over Spears establishing bureaucratic positions and forcing a “one-model-fits-all” agenda on diverse communities.

She blames Spears for squandering scarce financial resources on the new Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Department.

He instituted a requirement that employees complete two DEI training courses each year. While the Spears regime forced DEI on libraries, Turner said it shut down the Monument library’s most popular program among senior citizens: “The Socrates Café” – named after the white-male Greek philosopher known as the founder of Western philosophy.

“He turned our library system into CRT-brought-to-life,” Turner said. “Some nameless faceless bureaucrat working from home wouldn’t let us continue Socrates Café, and I’m the one standing there with an elderly patron in tears because that was a major part of her community life.”

Upon taking the job, Spears immediately commissioned a systemwide “Organizational Audit on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.” It concluded too many library employees are white.

“Add more visibility of Latinx, indigenous, and trans communities …” said one of the multiple recommendations that treat genetic traits as the most important consideration of humanity.

“Be aware of potentially sensitive holidays,” the report advises, singling out “Thanksgiving” as one to beware of.

Every word of the 34-page DEI manifesto advises our libraries to obsess over immutable traits – in content, hiring, and all other matters.

This needs to change. Public libraries are not special interest bookstores. We need them to stand as objective archives without political agendas – right or left – forced by activists in management.

Colorado Springs Gazette editorial board