Mary Lou Carolan is the executive director of the Newburgh Free Library. While she’s normally surrounded by books, she’s now surrounded by people demanding for those voices to be heard.

Saturday, Carolan and her colleagues in education went to the “#TeachTruth: Education” rally to protest laws limiting a teacher’s ability to cover topics such as racism, sexism, and oppression in the classroom.

“It's important for me as a librarian, but also as a public servant to be part of the movement that is moving our community forward, and that will happen with truth and honesty and openness,” says Carolan.

The debate is over critical race theory, an academic framework that examines how laws and public policy have perpetuated systemic racism since the country’s founding. Advocates say it’s time to modernize how history and other topics are taught, so the future of America can learn from its past.

“Women are left out; people of color are left out; poor people are left out. And so the story becomes very one-sided,” Carolan said.

According to the Zinn Education Project, creators of the #TeachTruth pledge, lawmakers in 27 states are attempting to pass legislation to ban the teaching of critical race theory in schools. In New York State, Assemblyman Colin Schmitt introduced legislation in Albany to ban critical race theory from being taught in state classrooms. During a press conference held in July, Schmitt claims the lessons “provides false history and false narrative on our most impressionable youth.”

“We're not doing anything like that,” says Carolan. “What we're doing here is being inclusive. We're telling everyone’s stories.”

She believes there is a lot of misinformation surrounding what educators are asking for and hopes people pay attention to the facts rather than the hype.

“All this knowledge makes us better; it creates an accurate picture of who we are as a people, and it helps us to advance in so many different ways,” says Carolan.

In response to the debate over lessons being taught, the New York State Board of Regents launched an initiative to advance diversity, equality and inclusion in schools.