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Federal Freeze Puts Mississippi Libraries at Risk

A Trump-era executive order aimed at reducing federal bureaucracy has left Mississippi libraries in a bind. Signed on March 14, the order drastically limited operations at several federal agencies, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)—the main source of federal funding for libraries and museums across the U.S. The IMLS, a small agency with about 70 employees, awarded over $266 million in grants last year. Mississippi received $2.1 million to support tech upgrades, internet access, interlibrary loan programs, Talking Book Services for visually impaired readers, and childhood literacy initiatives like summer reading. While most local libraries are funded by city, county, and state taxes, federal grants often fill crucial gaps—especially for one-time improvements and accessibility programs. Due to staffing disruptions at IMLS, grant processing and fund disbursement have stalled. Advocacy group Every Library warned, “This is not merely a bureaucratic activity; it is a crisis for the library, museum, and archive communities across the United States.” This pause in federal support could delay key programs and leave Mississippi libraries struggling to maintain essential services.

Sources:

• Institute of Museum and Library Services

• IMLS Mississippi State Profile

• EveryLibrary – Federal Library Funding Is in Danger

• American Library Association – Library Funding

• Executive Order 13781 – Federal Register

They Couldn’t Control Me—So They Turned My Kids into a Political Target- a DEI story part 1

They Couldn’t Control Me— I advocated for her rights (DEI) So They Turned My Kids into a Political Target. (And they called it counseling.)

DEI isn’t what you think.
Give me one minute to explain—before you start yelling “leftist" or "Crazy"
This isn’t about politics. It’s about people.

Diversity. Equity. Inclusion.
I hear your defense forming.
But now—hear me.
❗ Equity ≠ Equality ❗
◘ Equality gives everyone the same thing.
◘ Equity gives people what they need to succeed—because not everyone starts at the same line.
MERIT?
How do you know they don’t have merit?
You know how people often want what they don’t have?
Straight hair wants curly. Brown eyes want blue.
Now imagine yourself or your child being denied the job, a class, or the future you dreamed of—not because of ability or effort, but because of a box someone else decided to check for you.
Maybe—because of that passion, that deep longing—they can do it even better.
Merit isn’t missing.
It’s not a lack of drive—it’s a lack of access, and who’s holding the keys.

Now picture this: it’s your child.
They’re denied the class they asked for, the chance they were ready for—
not because they couldn’t handle it,
but because someone decided they didn’t belong.
You’ve seen the late nights, the anxiety, the courage.
And still, a gate they never built is slammed shut in their face.
Then... oh, you better believe there's more.
But I’ll save that part for another post—because this kind of discrimination?
It comes in three parts.
So, buckle up…
while you sit pretty in that carefree life of yours.
This happened with DEI protections in place. Now imagine it without it!
you don’t just see the injustice—
you feel it in your bones.

🧠🪷Rooted in resilience, burning with truth🐾🔥 — Kimberly Rae Ollison
#RootedInResilience #BurningWithTruth #DEIclarity #LetUsIn #GatekeepingIsReal #MamaBearAdvocacy #MeritMeetsBarriers