Trump Abruptly Fires Carla Hayden, First Black Librarian of Congress
With over forty years in the field, she was the nation’s 14th Librarian of Congress — and the first Black woman to hold the position.
President Donald Trump abruptly fired Dr. Carla Hayden on May 8, 2025, from her post as Librarian of Congress. According to an email obtained by The Associated Press, Hayden was notified late Thursday by the White House's Presidential Personnel Office.
“Carla,” the email began. “On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as the Librarian of Congress is terminated effective immediately. Thank you for your service.” A spokesperson for the Library of Congress confirmed that the White House told Hayden she was dismissed.
The first woman and the first Black American to hold the position in the Library’s 224-year history, the librarian’s oust is being read by many not just as political — but personal. Hayden, whose 10-year term was set to expire next year, had come under fire from a conservative advocacy group that had vowed to shut out those standing in the way of Trump's agenda. The group, American Accountability Foundation, accused her and other library leaders of promoting children's books with “radical” content and literary material authored by Trump opponents.
“The current #LibrarianOfCongress Carla Hayden is woke, anti-Trump, and promotes trans-ing kids,” AAF said on its X account earlier Thursday, just hours before the firing was made public. "It's time to get her OUT and hire a new guy for the job!”
National Treasure With Southern Roots
Born in Tallahassee, Florida, and raised in Queens, New York, Dr. Hayden’s Southern roots and lifelong dedication to public service shaped her revolutionary approach to librarianship. Long before her historic appointment, she made her mark as a community-focused leader who believed libraries should serve the people — not just preserve the past. Her leadership at the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore during the unrest following Freddie Gray’s death in police custody was widely praised — she famously kept the library open, calling it a safe haven during the city’s darkest days.
Appointed by President Barack Obama in 2016, Hayden became a symbol of transformation in a role historically held by white men with academic backgrounds. She brought a people-centered approach to the Library of Congress, prioritizing digital access, racial and cultural inclusion, and public engagement.
“It’s appalling that Dr. Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress, has been let go via email,” Mississippi-based educator and advocate Michele Walker said on Twitter. “As a champion of public access to knowledge and a dedicated public servant, she has been instrumental in promoting literacy & preserving our nation's cultural heritage.”
A Target for Telling the Truth
Trump’s decision to remove Hayden, which the White House did not substantively justify, appears to be part of a broader purge of federal leaders with independent views. In her nine-year tenure, Hayden made headlines for prioritizing transparency, archiving Black history, and defending user privacy — especially as surveillance technology increased in public institutions.
Under her leadership, the Library of Congress expanded its digital archive, increased multilingual access, preserved oral histories from civil rights activists, and made historic slave narratives and Black cultural collections accessible online.
These stances made her a quiet revolutionary in Washington, and a visible target under an administration known for punishing dissent and dismantling anything tied to Obama or Democratic era progress.
The move also speaks to Trump’s repeated attacks on Black women in public leadership. Just days before Hayden’s removal, he made headlines for mocking Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), calling her “low IQ” and “a disgrace.” He also removed Dr. Peggy Carr earlier this year, a respected statistician and the first Black woman to lead the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
A Radical Librarian, A Southern Legacy
In December 2024, Dr. Hayden was named the 2025 PEN/Faulkner Literary Champion, an honor that acknowledges her decades of literary advocacy and her commitment to inspiring new generations of readers and writers. The award ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C., on May 15, 2025.
She expressed gratitude for the recognition, stating, “Throughout my career, I have tried to make it easy, accessible, and fun for Americans to access all kinds of information. I’m honored to be named a Literary Champion by a nonprofit that so thoughtfully highlights the best in American fiction and hosts writers in schools to help inspire students to create.”
Hayden’s tenure as Librarian of Congress wasn't defined by partisanship — it was shaped by a radical belief in the public’s right to know. She championed the idea that every American, regardless of background, should have access to the full spectrum of the nation’s memory — its triumphs, tragedies, and truths.
“She’s been an inspiration to so many of us,” Black Librarians wrote in an Instagram statement. “The original ‘radical militant librarian’ defending patron privacy, an inspirational librarian and director and the first Black female Librarian of Congress…The continued assaults on truth, history, and critical thinking are vile and our country deserves better.”
13 & South is a new publication covering news, investigative stories, and insights on social justice, policy, and systemic inequities impacting Southern Black communities. I value your insights and feedback, and invite your perspectives to contribute to future issues. Please email me at editor@13thandsouth.com. Also, feel free to connect with me on my socials! LinkedIn, Twitter, IG, BlueSky, and Threads.
As an old WASP woman, I’m just saying that I want all white men banned from holding any political office.
There are no words....we know who 47 is and what he represents.