At Monday's meeting of the Appomattox County Board of Supervisors, further discussions and public comments were made regarding the board's June 20 decision to remove the then-three remaining members of the five-person Appomattox County Library Board of Trustees. The move had been made citing misconduct or neglect of duty on the part of the library board by permitting an LGBTQ Pride Month display in the Children's Section and graphic novels that depict explicit sexual acts in the Young Adult section of the J. Robert Jamerson Memorial Library.
Two of those board members were reinstated immediately because, as was stated in June, they took action following the county board's initial complaints in 2022. Two others had resigned prior to last month's meeting. The only one of the three removed to not be reinstated was Joetricia Humbles, who was appointed in 2022 to represent the Piney Mountain District. Humbles was replaced by a new appointee on June 20.
Alfred Jones III, who represents the Piney Mountain District on the Appomattox County Board of Supervisors, made a motion at Monday's meeting to reinstate Humbles. If approved, the motion would thereby remove newly-appointed library board member Nancy Jo Billings from the post.
Although no second motion was made by the county board Monday, a resolution to expand the library board will be drawn up by Appomattox County's attorney Tom Lacheney, and is expected to be placed on the Aug. 21 regular meeting agenda. This option could make room for Humbles to potentially be reinstated without removing an existing member. Code of Virginia Chapter 2, Title 42-1-33 mandates a minimum of five members must be appointed to a library board but permits a higher number of appointees.
When making his motion to reinstate Humbles, Jones explained that he believes both he and the Appomattox County Board of Supervisors acted hastily in voting for the library board's removal in June without having further investigation and discussion before taking a final vote at a later date.
Jones, who had voted to remove Humbles last month, emphasized that his personal moral conviction remains that those materials should not be permitted in a public library for consumption by minors. Upon further research, however, he found that a Virginia state code permits distribution of such materials in public libraries.
Article 6, Title 18.2-390 of the Virginia code prohibits individuals from knowingly selling or loaning to juveniles under age 18 materials that contain nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, sadomasochistic abuse, or as Chapter 6 states, in is deemed harmful to children: "(b) is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community as a whole with respect to what is suitable material for juveniles, and (c) is, when taken as a whole, lacking in serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value for juveniles."
However, as researched by the Times Virginian, according to Article 6, Title 18.2-391, this standard does not apply to public libraries. The code states the following, in italics:
Nothing contained in this article shall be construed to apply to:
1. The purchase, distribution, exhibition, or loan of any work of art, book, magazine, or other printed or manuscript material by any accredited museum, library, school, or institution of higher education.
2. The exhibition or performance of any play, drama, tableau, or motion picture by any theatre, museum, school, or institution of higher education, either supported by public appropriation or which is an accredited institution supported by private funds.
Based upon the law, Jones said he believes neither the library director or the library board violated the Code of Virginia.
"The threshold for firing a library board for misconduct must be higher than 'I feel' or 'I think;' it must be 'I know,'" Jones said. "Not 'I know the library board has violated my Christian or moral world view;' it must be 'I know the library board has violated the Virginia code that governs libraries in the Commonwealth.' That being said, before the Appomattox County Board of Supervisors can legally fire the library board of this county, we must first engage in due diligence before the action, not after the action. Failure to do so is an example of poor governance. My vote to fire the library board without first doing my due diligence was an exercise in poor governance."
Jones said that while doing his due diligence after the June vote, he found that the library had moved the LGBTQ+ children's display to another section after complaints were received in June.
According to another Virginia code, Jones said, it is the library director, not the library board, who is ultimately responsible for materials placed in the library. Jones did not specify the code. The Times Virginian is in the process of researching the Virginia library codes and will provide an update at a later time.
Diana Harvey, who served as the Jamerson Library's director for a little more than three years, resigned from her position in Appomattox earlier this year to take a job as assistant director of the Lynchburg Public Library System. Long-time employee Katharine Bloodworth is serving as the interim director in Appomattox until a new full-time director can be found.
Jones also expressed his belief that Humbles' character has been unfairly judged in the public as a result of her ouster from the library board. He also assured fellow board members and those in attendance that he did not receive pressure to reinstate Humbles from anyone who opposed the county board's June 20 decision.
Humbles, who works as a professional counselor and is the lead agent of the Appomattox For Equality organization, spoke during the public comment session. She defended herself against "misrepresentation" stemming from her removal from the library board, of which she described as "negative" and "harmful."
"I've lived (in Appomattox County) all my life," she said. "I've been an active member of this community for over 20 years - 4-H, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, several other community agencies and situations. So, to say that I would harm children is a false accusation."
"I was nominated and appointed to start my term on July 1, 2022," Humbles added. "I know that some people have mentioned that I've know about the displays prior to that but I was not a member of the (library) board."
Humbles also noted that none of the county board members has attended a library board meeting to discuss the materials in question despite being invited, nor has she spoken with any county board member in regard to the displays.
"I feel like what happened in June was a true misrepresentation of our community," she continued. "You basically are telling our community members who part of the LGBTQ community that they don't matter, that they don't exist, that they don't pay taxes, that they don't believe in God, that they don't love people - but they do."
In response to accusations of racism against the Appomattox County Board of Supervisors (which were expressed on social media and by one public speaker at Monday's meeting) regarding the removal of Humbles, who is African American, Jones, who is also African American, said he does not believe race had anything to do with the June decision to revamp the library board.
Rev. Paul Raymond, of Appomattox, stated that opposition to the LGBTQ children's books and young adult graphic novels isn't a matter of equal rights, race, or the LGBTQ community, but rather about protecting young children in the community.
"When we see the library having filters on the (personal computers) prohibiting information off of the computers that are inappropriate, or the R-rated movies being regulated and prohibited from minors, we have to start asking some questions," he said.
Raymond questions why a Code of Virginian exemption exists that permits libraries and other public institutions to distribute printed materials when private individuals would be prosecuted for distributing those same materials. Nevertheless, he said, personal moral standards of the community-at-large should prevail for the sake of protecting children.
"According to the traditional values of the majority of Appomattox citizens, I would still be guilty of sexually radicalizing children by allowing them free access to sexual obscenities," he said.
Nine citizens of Appomattox County commented during the public comment session, some of whom opposed the county board's June decision and some of whom are in favor.
The next regular monthly meeting of the Appomattox County Board of Supervisors is scheduled for Aug. 21 at 6 p.m.
NOTE: Due to this meeting being held after the weekly Monday afternoon deadline for press content, the full article will be published in the July 26 edition of the Times Virginian.
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