Open Letter to Chairman Vicky Cook of the Warren County Board of Supervisors

Good Afternoon, Ms. Cook,

My name is Savanna Ritenour McCoy, I live in the Fork District of Warren County with my husband and 2 children (ages 3 and 7). I moved to Front Royal when I was 12 years old after having spent my life, up until then, in Winchester, VA – so I have always been a citizen of this beautiful valley that we call home. I graduated from Warren County High School in 2004, my father graduated from that same school in the 70s, and my husband graduated from RMA in 2003. I start with this because I feel it’s important to demonstrate that I am not someone who has moved here from DC for college or from anywhere else. The Ritenour’s are an old family in the valley, and I’ve always been extremely proud of this fact.

I was in attendance during last night’s board of supervisors meeting, and I must say – I walked away more alarmed than when I walked in there. Unfortunately, even though I arrived at the government center at 3 p.m., I was unable to sign up to speak. Understandably, this topic is incredibly sensitive, and both sides desired representation- which is why I was so disappointed to find that individuals had arrived as early as 9 a.m. and that the pro-funding citizens of the county would not be permitted to speak more than 3-4 times. Hence, my desire to write to you as my fear is that a small, overwhelmingly loud group of extremists in our town has completely run amuck with their narrative.

I spent a lot of time going to the library as a child. My family didn’t have the funds to send me to do the activities I am now able to send my children to do. But the library was free and was a wondrous place to broaden my imagination. Initially, I was a proud card-carrying member of Handley Library in Winchester, VA. I was completely spoiled by a massive catalog of books and activities to choose from. I admit that when I moved to Front Royal, I was completely dismayed by the smaller size of Samuel’s. My 12-year-old mind thought that surely, I’d either read everything in it or that there wouldn’t be anything for me in this town. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

For the next 24 years, the catalog and tireless work of the staff at Samuel’s Library has continued to surprise me in the best way. The collection that our small-town library has built up is one that I would be proud to walk any out-of-towner through. The inclusivity shown within the content provided gave me hope that our small town could be a leader in inclusion and a guiding star for other small towns in showing acceptance, support, and loving thy neighbor (even when they are different than you). I am completely disgusted by the unfounded accusations of “porn” in the children’s section of the library.

Unlike many who were in the room last night, I have read many (admittedly not all, as it’s a long list I’ve got to work through) of the books submitted for removal and the forms submitted with them. When comparing those books to the forms, I felt that my intelligence was being insulted – not only was there no “porn” in any of the books that I’ve read but many of them are written on the basis of family values that I hold dear. Love people who are different than you, support those struggling with finding their footing in this world, and stand up for those who need someone to stand with them. The targets of these ban requests are some of our most vulnerable families. I urge you to please fund Samuel’s Public Library in full and without passage of the MOA presented by the BoS.

I’d like to close this letter with the conversation that I had with my 7-year-old daughter, Nora when I returned home last night. Nora had stayed up and waited for me because I read to her every single night before bedtime. When I got in, she had a million questions about the meeting that I went to, and I answered all of them as honestly as I could without dissolving her childhood innocence.

She asked, “What was the meeting about that you went to?” I replied, “Well, there is a group of people in our town that would like some books from the library removed. They don’t like what they have to say, and they don’t want children your age reading them.” Nora asked, “Why? Are they scary? Why can’t I read them?” I honestly replied, “No honey, they aren’t scary. They show families in different ways. Some of these books have 2 mommies or 2 daddies. Or are families that don’t look the same as you.” She was rightfully confused, so she asked, “Why is that bad?”

I never expected to have THIS conversation with my child so early. She is 7. However, I fully believe in showing her the world as it is so that she can be prepared for it. So, I replied, “Unfortunately, honey, there are people who feel strongly that you should only have a mommy and a daddy. I want you to know that your mommy and daddy do not feel that way. We loved you the moment you were born, we love who you are today, and we love who you will be tomorrow. And I promise that I will love whomever you bring home, boy, girl, black, white, it doesn’t matter to me or daddy. Or even your Nan, Nana, Papa, and Granddaddy. We only care that they love you and that you’re happy. But there are people in this world and in this town that want to tell you that that isn’t okay. That mommy and daddy are wrong for feeling that way. And they want to remove books from the library that show families like that.”

She said, “I have a kid in my class with 2 mommies. Why is that bad?”

I replied, “It’s not sweetie. They love their kiddos, and they will always be welcome at our table.”

Now, I’ll wrap up with her response:  “It would be so sad for my friend to go to the library and not be able to find a book about his family. That’s not fair.”

A 7-year-old can see how discriminatory this is. Can the board??

Thank you for your time in reading this admittedly lengthy email. Thank you for your consideration. I hope that the board’s decision reflects the will and needs of ALL families in your district.

Sincerely,

Savanna Ritenour McCoy
Warren County