Old Fox Books in Annapolis, Maryland, isn’t just a business. Co-owner Jinny Amundson told WTOP it’s a part of the community, one she loves as much as she loves books.
Amundson’s ties to the Naval Academy are deep as well. Her dad is not only a Naval Academy graduate, he retired from the academy in 1991.
So when she heard that the Nimitz Library on campus was removing 381 titles in alignment with President Donald Trump’s administration’s goal of eliminating materials that seemingly include aspects of diversity, equity and inclusion, she knew she’d take some kind of action, though she wasn’t quite sure what form it would take.
Then, she said, the list of books that had been slated for removal appeared in the Baltimore Banner and on the Navy’s website.
While looking at the list on the weekend of the annual croquet match between the Naval Academy Midshipmen and the students of nearby St. John’s College, Amundson had already begun formulating a plan to stock up and highlight the books that had been removed at her shop.
She was contacted by retired Cmdr. William Marks, who’d graduated from the Naval Academy in 1996.
Marks told WTOP the notion that the books would be taken off the shelves of the academy’s library didn’t make any sense to him.
“These are some of the smartest, most dedicated students in the whole world. Many of them, a month from now, will be commissioned officers leading our Navy and Marine Corps. While at the same breath, we’re telling them that they can’t read a book in the library,” Marks said.
When he reached out to Amundson, he told her about his plan. He was starting a GoFundMe page and he’d cover the cost of stocking the books at her shop so that Midshipmen could come in and get a selection of the titles — free of charge.
Amundson stopped him before he continued, “And I pretty much said, ‘Hey, we’re already with you, man. We’re in. We’re absolutely in. We’ve already started ordering books.'”
Marks said he’d planned on having a “modest goal” with the GoFundMe, but since it’s been reported in outlets like the New York Times and the Washington Post, it’s taken off. As of this reporting, the fundraiser page has garnered over $48,000.
“I will say that the support from alumni and support from the local Maryland, D.C., Virginia citizens has been tremendously positive, overwhelmingly positive in terms of donations. We’re past 700 donations, which is incredible,” Marks said.
Amundson and Marks both said the effort has been free of division.
“There’s been no politics in the conversations with people that have been coming in,” Amundson said. “And they give either financial support or just absolute encouragement, volunteer their time to let us know that this is the right thing to do.”
She said graduates and community members alike have chipped in.
“Our first distribution is set for May 20-22, that’s going to be a proof of concept. We’re going to make sure the logistics are just right, and then you will see us out in force the entirety of the fall semester at football games, all the way through the end of this year,” Marks said.
Marks insisted the push to provide the banned books isn’t just a short-term commitment.
“We’re not going to just start this and end it in a few months. My plan is to keep this going all the way until Jan. 20 of 2029, or until the Pentagon changes their mind, whichever one comes first,” he said.
The name of the project is “Operation Caged Bird,” named for one of the books removed from the Naval Academy’s library, Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.”
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