Attention bibliophiles and body art aficionados! Gear up for a day of celebrating the timeless power of stories – even the ones they tried to lock away. Join us on May 10th for a tattoo flash event where your love for literature meets the world of ink.
We’ll have a selection of killer walk-in tattoo designs inspired by books that have been banned over the years…but this event is about more than just getting inked. It’s a fight for the First Amendment and the vital role libraries play in fostering vibrant communities. Proceeds will go to organizations that champion intellectual freedom, inclusivity and representation, ensuring everyone has access to the stories that shape their lives.
To add to the celebration, we’ve partnered with our awesome friends at Dog-Eared Books who’ll be offering sweet deals and giveaways for attendees, making it a perfect excuse to stock up on your next favorite read or snag some unique merch.
Special thanks to our friends at Raygun for offering some anti-book-ban themed prizes.
In return for a tattoo:
We ask that you send a donation to one of the following organizations, make a screenshot of your receipt (minus any personal info like credit card numbers) and email it to us at inkblotstudioames@gmail.com. We will recommend a donation based on the size and location of the piece, but feel free to tip your artist for outstanding work.
Organizations to Donate to:
Annie’s Foundation
Donate at https://anniesfoundation.com/
Annie’s Foundation is based in Johnston, lowa, a suburb of Des Moines. In the fall of 2021, we began to notice an alarming trend in Johnston and surrounding communities-an increasing number of vocal and well-organized parents were dominating local parent groups and school board meetings with demands for the removal of books and instructional material they deemed offensive. In Johnston, this culminated in the election of three board members who signed the 1776 Pledge.
In the Johnston Community School District, any parent has a right to request a copy of their child’s required and optional reading lists. In addition, parents always have the right to request alternate reading materials if they do not feel that the reading lists offers appropriate selections. Nonetheless, a mother from Johnston initiated a formal reconsideration request with the school board, challenging the high school’s use of two books as optional reading selections for certain courses.
Unite Against Book Bans
Donate at https://ec.ala.org/donation/OIF-0625-UABBFD
Unite Against Book Bans is a national initiative to empower readers everywhere to stand together in the fight against censorship.
We are not alone. On both sides of the aisle, large majorities of voters and parents oppose book bans.
And yet, attempts to ban books from libraries continue to rise at an unprecedented level across the country. The American Library Association reported 1,269 attempts to censor library books and resources in 2022, the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling data about censorship in libraries more than 20 years ago.
The American Library Association
https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks
Donate at https://ec.ala.org/donate/projects click on Office then click on OIF
The American Library Association (ALA) is the oldest and largest library association in the world.
Founded on October 6, 1876 during the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, the mission of ALA is “to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.”
American Civil Liberties Union
Donate at https://action.aclu.org/give/now
In the years following World War I, America was gripped by the fear that the Communist Revolution that had taken place in Russia would spread to the United States. As is often the case when fear outweighs rational debate, civil liberties paid the price. In November 1919 and January 1920, in what notoriously became known as the “Palmer Raids,” Attorney General Mitchell Palmer began rounding up and deporting so-called radicals. Thousands of people were arrested without warrants and without regard to constitutional protections against unlawful search and seizure. Those arrested were brutally treated and held in horrible conditions.
In the face of these egregious civil liberties abuses, a small group of people decided to take a stand, and thus was born the American Civil Liberties Union.
The ACLU has evolved in the years since from this small group of idealists into the nation’s premier defender of the rights enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. With more than 1.7 million members, 500 staff attorneys, thousands of volunteer attorneys, and offices throughout the nation, the ACLU of today continues to fight government abuse and to vigorously defend individual freedoms including speech and religion, a woman’s right to choose, the right to due process, citizens’ rights to privacy and much more. The ACLU stands up for these rights even when the cause is unpopular, and sometimes when nobody else will. While not always in agreement with us on every issue, Americans have come to count on the ACLU for its unyielding dedication to principle. The ACLU has become so ingrained in American society that it is hard to imagine an America without it.
National Coalition Against Censorship
Donate at https://ncac.org/donate
We envision an American society that understands, values, defends, and vigorously exercises free expression in a just, egalitarian, diverse, and inclusive democracy.
Every generation of Americans faces new and significant challenges to free expression. For almost 50 years, NCAC has acted as a first responder to protect this freedom, which is both a fundamental human right and a keystone of democracy in the ever-changing American nation. We promote freedom of thought and inquiry and oppose censorship. When controversy occurs, we encourage and facilitate dialogue between divergent voices and perspectives, including those that have historically been silenced.
We provide direct intervention for people and groups facing censorship in their communities.
We serve:
Students, teachers, librarians, parents and others opposing censorship in schools and libraries
Artists, curators and museum directors resisting art censorship
Writers and publishers
Activists and protestors
Dramatists, filmmakers, creators of all forms of art and cultural production
Our coalition partners
Inkblot Studio 
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