MD College Removes Books On Race, Gender; $50K Bookstore Fundraiser Fills Gap

ANNAPOLIS, MD — A fundraiser has collected over $50,000 to purchase books at an Annapolis bookstore that were removed from the Naval Academy library. The nearly 400 titles taken off the library shelves covered race and gender, topics that President Donald Trump has contested in hopes of ending diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Retired Navy officer and Naval Academy graduate William Marks launched the GoFundMe, which collected $52,214 by Wednesday afternoon. Marks said Old Fox Books & Coffeehouse will distribute what he called "banned books" to midshipmen for free throughout 2025 and by request through the end of Trump's term.

"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 told WTOP.

Marks dubbed his campaign "Operation Caged Bird," a nod to "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou, which was among the 381 titles removed from the Nimitz Library on April 4.

The Associated Press said other books removed included “Memorializing the Holocaust,” which deals with Holocaust memorials; “Half American,” about African Americans in World War II; “A Respectable Woman,” about the public roles of African American women in 19th century New York; and “Pursuing Trayvon Martin,” about the 2012 shooting of the Black 17-year-old in Florida that raised questions about racial profiling.

WTOP said Old Fox Books Co-Owner Jinny Amundson chose to highlight the challenged books at her store because her father graduated from the Naval Academy and served at the school until his retirement in 1991.

"There’s been no politics in the conversations with people that have been coming in," Amundson told WTOP. "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."

More information on the project is available at operationcagedbird.com. The GoFundMe is still accepting donations here.