June 10, 2025
The Trump administration credited Hayden’s removal to her alleged role in making “inappropriate books” accessible to kids.
Dr. Carla Hayden, the first woman and Black person to serve as Librarian of Congress, is speaking out after being abruptly dismissed from her position May 8. Initially appointed by President Barack Obama in 2016, Hayden was nearing the end of her 10-year term when she received an unexpected email at the behest of the Trump administration last month informing her that her tenure had been “terminated effective immediately.”
“I was never notified beforehand, and after,” Hayden said in an interview with CBS News. “No one has talked to me directly at all from the White House.”
“It just started with ‘Carla,” she recalled the message that informed her of her termination. “I received no phone call, no conversation–nothing from the White House,” she told the outlet.
Hayden clarified that she has personally never had any conflict with the Trump administration, which made the move even more surprising.
“I don’t think it was personal,” Hayden said.
The Trump administration’s White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later explained that the reason behind Hayden’s firing was that she allegedly “did not fit the needs of the American people.”
The White House claimed her abrupt removal was tied to concerns about her support for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and her alleged role in making “inappropriate books” accessible to children.
The reasoning left Hayden even more astonished, as she clarified that the Library of Congress does not function as a public lending library.
“I was concerned there might be a lack of understanding about what the Library actually does,” Hayden expressed.
“It’s been puzzling in many ways to think about being ‘inclusive’ as a negative.”
Hayden’s removal has ignited backlash across the literary and academic communities.
Supporters gathered at Washington, D.C.’s Martin Luther King Jr. Library following the news, where author Kwame Alexander told the crowd, “The firing of our distinguished, esteemed Librarian of Congress, Dr. Carla Hayden, makes it clear to us that the freedom to read, the freedom to learn, the freedom to express ourselves is under attack.”
For Hayden, the overwhelming support has been moving. “It’s so humbling to have that outpouring,” she said. “But what is really, I think, part of this feeling is that it’s part of a larger-seeming effort to diminish opportunities for the general public to have free access to information and inspiration.”
This most recent move by the Trump administration is being viewed as part of a broader effort by President Trump to remake the cultural makeup of institutions, especially surrounding DEI initiatives.
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