The Ripple Effect of Book Bans - and What You Can Do To Stop It
Last month, a book about Afro-Puerto Rican baseball legend Robert Clemente was removed from the bookshelves in Duval County Florida - which includes Jacksonville - “for review.” It was one of more than a million titles the Duval County School District removed, with the excuse that it is adhering to Florida’s laws restricting lessons about race, racism, gender and sexual identity. The book was “under review” because it contained references to the racist treatment Clemente experienced.
After “being reviewed,” the district decided it approved the book, and it was put back on the shelves. However, the Duval County School District will continue this intense scrutiny to comply with the 2022 Florida law, HB 1467, which requires school boards to adopt procedures that provide for the “regular removal or discontinuance” of books from schools and libraries addressing race, racism, gender and sexual identity. If teachers in Florida use unapproved books in any classroom, regardless of the age of the student, or discuss sexual or gender identity with K-3 students, they risk losing their jobs and/or their teaching license, as well as face “the other penalties provided by law.”
Florida isn’t the only state to ban books that focus on racism, LGBTQ+ issues, and books that teach concepts such as critical race theory, but it has been one of the loudest, and most specific and far-reaching into the classroom - teachers may not teach critical race theory. Under the “Stop W.O.K.E.” Act (Stop Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees Act), passed in 2022, teachers may not teach any lessons or discussions that would make students feel “guilt or anguish” for past actions committed by their race. (Read: don’t make white kids aware of the history of racism and how it persists in this country.) As of yesterday, the law was blocked by a federal judge. We will see how it plays out in the U.S. Supreme Court, where it is undoubtedly headed.
Clemente’s book is only one of the 2,532 instances of individual books being banned across Florida, affecting 1,648 unique titles. These titles are by 1,261 different authors, 290 illustrators, and 18 translators, according to a recent PEN report. This impacts the world of over 1,500 people - many of the authors minorities in religion or part of the LGBTQ+ community.
The Ripple Effect
As if banning the ability to teach today’s youth to look back on how our country’s white citizens have treated People of Color through the ages wasn’t enough, books referring to LGBTQ+ characters - especially transgender kids - have been labeled by the governor as “pornography.” In a video played by DeSantis last week at a press conference, everything from sex education books to a trans child’s memoir to collections of poetry qualified as 'pornography’, and all were accused of pushing an agenda on children. The exact agenda has yet to be identified.
However, the “Don’t Say Gay” law (officially the Parental Rights in Education law, HB 1557) already restricts classroom discussion about gender identity and sexual orientation without any exception. Lord help these children if they should understand what nonbinary means or why Billy has two dads. As my 8-year-old transgender son shows in his circle of friends, who have all seen him transition, second graders are much too young to comprehend the idea of a trans kid in their class. (Please pick up on my sarcasm.)
Beyond a view of any LGBTQ+ book and all sex ed materials as pornography, and the suppression of our racist past and present as learning that could hurt white kids’ feelings, DeSantis is removing books that examine or discuss (therefore educate) children about minority religions: most commonly Muslims and Jews. A Holocaust-themed Jodi Picoult novel was removed from a high school in Martin County in southeast Florida. Even books just written by Jewish authors whether or not Holocaust or Jewish-themed have been removed: Judy Blume’s coming-of-age novel “Forever” was removed from Sugarloaf School with the school citing that it was too promiscuous and sexual. “Extremely Loud and Extremely Close” by Jonathan Safran For was removed from a Florida school district library. (Guess I won’t be doing a book tour in Florida. Where would my Jewish self read a book that includes secondary characters of color? Maybe Disney World? Epcot?) A children’s library removed the picture book under this “Stop W.O.K.E.” Act that depicted Jews observing Shabbat, and one about a Jewish family with two dads. (That last one is a double whammy. Two issues in one book! That’s really something.")
To put it in quick numbers from the 2021-2022 school year:
41% of books banned have LGTBQ+ themes, protagonists, or prominent secondary characters.
40% have protagonists or prominent secondary characters who are POC.
22% include sexual content.
21% are titles that deal with issues of race and racism.
9% are autobiographies, biographies or memoirs.
4% are stories with religious minorities.
These numbers are only from data collected between July 1, 2021 - July 30, 2022. At least 139 additional bans have taken place from July 2022 - today.
What You Can Do
1. Fight fire with fire: speak out. Exercise those First Amendment rights. Jodi Picoult (who had 20 of her own novels removed from Florida school district libraries for reasons ranging from “pornography” to, I guess, talking about the Holocaust? Is that a reason?), and James Patterson are leading the charge in leveraging their platforms and status as best-selling, nationally recognized authors to speak out against the book ban. We are fighting a powerful political agenda that leads to educational gag orders and teachers who are unsure what books are allowed, and afraid that they will be punished legally and professionally if they use certain words in the classroom. We are also fighting well-off right-wing nonprofits, such as Moms for Liberty, which now has over 200 chapters.
These people - and all book ban supporters - are loud and proud. We need to be just as loud as they are. If you live in a book banned state, contact your representative, senator, governor, and make them listen. Start a grassroots campaign. Politicians listen to the loudest voices, and the majority, even if they don’t agree with them. You see, people ultimately have the power because if we don’t vote for the politician, they are out of a job.
PEN American has a great tip sheet for students, authors, and librarians on how to protest. Under the National Coalitiation Against Censorship “Resources” tab, there is a plethora of information on book bans - from how to advocate for books, to practical resource for students to use when combating book bans and educational gags. There’s a sheet that explains what you can and can’t do - helpful for parents too - and what your First Amendment rights cover and what behavior falls outside of First Amendment protection. This will help you all protest safely.
2. Raise money for politicians who do not support books bans, or just donate to their campaign. Then VOTE. Besides media noise, celebrity support, social media Tweets or videos going viral, hashtags, and (depending on the issue and what side you are on) the somewhat-useful cancel culture, money really talks. Money makes a difference. Every dollar counts - give $1, $2, $5, whatever you can afford - because the politicians leading the charge for book bans have deep pockets. Let’s give to their opponents, line their pockets, and then vote. VOTE, VOTE, VOTE.
3. Book bans hurt our kids. They suppress teachers who want to teach about the actual past of our country, a truth that has been ignored for too long. I have a cis-white 10-year-old boy, and he learned the real relationship between the Native Americans and the pilgrims - later the settlers and the U.S. government. He learned the history of slavery, and how racism persists until today, and he is fully aware of LGBTQIA+ issues. He learned these things in school. From his teachers. Does he feel “anguish or guilt” (in DeSantis terms) about being a straight, white kid? No. But, it was a great way to address white privilege, which he would not have realized existsted without his wonderful teachers. This lesson was a great way for our family to talk about what we, as white people, can do for people of color, what we need to do, and how the experience of the Black kid in his class is probably completely different from his. He’s not scarred. He’s not sad. He’s educated.
School should be one of the safest and most accurate places to learn about racism, LGBTQ+ issues, issues faced by people of color, minority religions, and minorities in general. Taking the books away that address these issues hurts everyone: it denies minorities a voice, and denies white Christian cisgender kids from learning about differences in people.
So, please, speak up against book bans. Be loud. Give money - whatever you can - to politicians and organizations that oppose book bans and educational gags. Give time.
Students, do it for yourselves.
Parents, do it for your kids.
Everyone, do it for your country.
