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ILWU Local 5 @ilwulocal5.bsky.social · 04/10/2025

What has Powell’s leadership been doing lately to fight censorship and defend free speech? March 2025: At a town-hall style conversation between employees and upper management, an employee asked owner Emily Powell what actions Powell’s would be taking to stand against censorship. Powell said that when the company has taken action on this issue in the past, it has been in our local community (ignoring the company’s previous involvement with, and donations related to, national Banned Books Week), and that if anything comes up in our community, “we'll look into it.” She confirmed that Powell’s has no plans to be involved in anti-censorship work on a national level.

ILWU Local 5 @ilwulocal5.bsky.social · 04/10/2025

What has Powell’s leadership been doing lately to fight censorship and defend free speech? September 2025: On an internal platform where booksellers are encouraged to post book-related questions and updates, a bookseller raised concerns about Charlie Kirk's upcoming book being featured on the main page of Powells.com as a "Highly Anticipated" title. Other employees weighed in on the thread, seconding that it was troubling to see Powell's actively platforming someone known for hate speech and influencing policies targeting marginalized groups (to which many booksellers belong), and voicing concerns about how this might make customers from marginalized groups feel Powell’s was no longer a safe “third place.” Powell’s leadership’s response to employee concerns was to delete the thread entirely and post a company-wide announcement that political debates and opinions are not appropriate at work.

ILWU Local 5 @ilwulocal5.bsky.social · 04/10/2025

📧 community@ilwulocal5.com

How can you tell Powell’s you want them to fight censorship and defend free speech? Email us at community@ilwulocal5.com and we'll relay your message to Powell's leadership. Let Powell’s leadership know that you don’t support censorship of booksellers; that booksellers’ perspectives and opinions are a valuable part of the independent bookstore experience; and that you appreciate seeing bookseller recommendations that highlight diverse voices, racial justice, and human rights. Many customers don’t think to leave feedback unless they’re angry about something — Powell’s leadership could use the positive reinforcement and reminder that our community values the work booksellers are doing. Note: this is not a call for a boycott; it’s a call for solidarity!