Tracie D. Hall

As Executive Director, Tracie D. Hall was the first African American woman to lead the American Library Association (ALA) since its inception in 1876. Amidst increased book-banning efforts, Hall bolstered the ALA's in-house legal defense fund and became one of the loudest national voices on the right to read in libraries. She launched the comprehensive Unite Against Book Bans initiative to help people fight against censorship in their communities. In 2023, Forbes named her to their "50 Over 50: Impact" list.

Practicing her belief that “free people read freely,” Hall has led efforts against censorship and the rise of politicized redacting of history and curricula. She has labored to protect the democratic ideals of freedom of thought, assembly, press, public education, dissent, speech, and above all, the freedom to imagine a liberated world through the word.

Prior to her appointment at ALA, Hall served as the Director of the Joyce Foundation Culture Program. She also served as Chicago's Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. In libraries, Hall was Vice President of the Queens Public Library and Assistant Dean of Dominican University Graduate School of Library and Information Science, among other positions.

She is the founder and curator of Rootwork Gallery, an experimental arts space in Chicago, and has served as a visiting curator at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, as well as a visiting professor at Southern Connecticut State University, Wesleyan University, and the Catholic University of America. Hall holds a M.L.I.S from the University of Washington and a M.A. from Yale.