The owner of Yu and Me Books, the first New York City-based bookstore owned by a female Asian-American, said that the censorship of books in Texas school libraries by Republican lawmakers is “ridiculous and terrible.”

Lucy Yu, who just opened up her bookstore a month ago, sells many books that highlight stories of immigration.

“This has always been a dream of mine, and I wanted to see stories on the wall reflect immigrant experiences similar to mine,” she said in an email. “A large reason why I wanted to create my space is to make sure these voices are heard.”

Yu is just one of many who are concerned how this censorship will impact the younger generation.

A group of librarians who call themselves the #FReadom fighters launched the grassroots initative, #FReadom, to raise awareness of the state’s actions and bring school librarians together.

“Not having easy access to marginalized voices can really skew a younger person’s perspective, and create tunnel vision for people still working on forming their own thoughts and opinions,” Yu said. “We will continue to fight to have these voices heard and printed because it’s necessary for our future.”

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