Children's Books discussion
Banned Books: discussions, lists
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Discussion of censorship, equity, and other concerns.
Manybooks wrote: "What is the name of the board president who wants to burn books? He should have his name and address made public so that we can send him letters and cards calling him and his Nazi pigs...."It's not showing up in my Google search right now. He'll claim it was a joke.
Book Riot reported that "Sacramento Public Library (CA) has created a sanctuary library called the Lavender Library."
It sounds like they misunderstood. The article does state the library has been around 25 years and is a sanctuary.
https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/ne...
More good news of the day from Ohio:The Dayton Metro Library board recently passed a resolution declaring the library a “book sanctuary,” which allows them to collect and protect the books that are being challenged elsewhere.
Dayton Metro Library Executive Director Jeffrey Trzeciak said what lawmakers are doing when they challenge books is challenging democracy. Instead, he said choosing what library book to read is a choice.
“Anyone who does not want to read a particular book is welcome not to read that particular book, but it does not give them the right to decide what others can read or not read,” Trzeciak said.
https://www.wdtn.com/news/local-news/...
Kudos to Massachusetts and a state rep from a community near me. State Rep. Jim Hawkins, D-Attleboro, has filed a bill to prevent the banning of books in libraries.
He has two co-sponsors, Lindsay Sabadosa, D-Northampton, and Francisco Paulino, D-Lawrence.
The key part of the bill reads as follows:
“It is further declared to be the policy of the State to encourage and protect the freedom of libraries and library systems to acquire materials without external limitations and to be protected against attempts to ban, remove, or otherwise restrict access to books or other materials.
“We felt it necessary to take measures to prevent the limitations and restrictions recently growing in our district and across the state,” he said. “Massachusetts is and has always been at the forefront of protecting our freedom and democracy.”
Another key part of the bill reads as follows.
“(This bill shall) adopt the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights that indicates materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval or, in the alternative, develop a written statement declaring the inherent authority of the library or library system to provide an adequate collection stock of books and other materials sufficient in size and varied in kind and subject matter to satisfy the library needs of the people of this state and prohibit the practice of banning specific books or resources.”
https://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/...
In Arkansas, the divided town with dueling billboards, In a quorum court meeting Monday night, Saline County officials conducted the first reading on whether to strip the Saline County Library Board of its power to hire and fire employees of the library "subject to the Saline County Judge's oversight.
No decision has been reached.
During Monday's Saline County quorum court meeting, many of the justice of peace shared why a decision on an ordinance aimed to revise the obligations, duties, and powers of the library board for the county should be made.
Justice of the Peace Jim Whitley said to the quorum court the Saline County Library administration should not have the amount of power they have.
"I believe it was a mistake and I think it's a mistake moving forward to grant any board this level of authority and autonomy," Whitley said.
Justice of the Peace Keith Keck said the court should consider taking their time on any potential legal matters before voting to move forward on the ordinance. He said his concern was retribution against the library staff if a vote would be made on Monday.
"I think we should not have put them in that awkward position knowing that, hey what is going on here? What is my responsibility and stuff like that because there's federal cases out there," Keck said. "I just ask that we think about that."
The ordinance has to go through three readings before it can pass. The quorum court did not vote on an emergency clause for the law to go into effect immediately. The court was only able to go through a first reading on Monday.
https://katv.com/news/local/live-cont...
The New York Times reports, And Tango Makes Three authors and students sued a Florida school district and the state’s board of education on Tuesday, saying that restricting access to the book in school libraries was unconstitutional.The lawsuit by the authors of the picture book, “And Tango Makes Three,” seeks to make it available again and to have the law found unconstitutional.
The complaint, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, said the Lake County school district had “cited no legitimate pedagogical reason for its decision.” The lawsuit went on to argue that “the book is factually accurate, non-vulgar and non-obscene; ‘Tango’ had previously stood on school library shelves; and ‘Tango’ was restricted for illegitimate, narrowly partisan and political reasons.”
Sherri Owens, a spokeswoman for the Lake County school district, said that the district could not comment on pending litigation. “We removed access to ‘And Tango Makes Three’ for our kindergarten through third-grade students in alignment with Florida House Bill 1557, which at the time prohibited classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity for those grade levels,” Ms. Owens said in an email.
The suit was also brought on behalf of six students in Lake County, including a rising first grader who attends public school in the district and who, according to the complaint, wants to read “Tango” because of his fascination with animals.
The suit claims that students’ First Amendment right to receive information has been violated, that the authors’ reputations have been damaged by the suggestion that the book “contains sexual or age-inappropriate material that deserves to be banned” and that the authors’ free speech rights have been infringed upon.
“Whatever one believes about the value of respecting two-mom or two-dad families,” Richardson said, “there is no substance to any claim that it’s harmful or inappropriate at any age for children to learn that we exist.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/20/bo...
In Michigan, at the Ferndale Library, the censors tried to "hide the pride" and did NOT succeed! On June 4, the Ferndale library’s youth and young adult Pride Month displays were completely emptied of their books, and several other LGBTQ+ titles were subjected to simultaneous checkouts.
It’s part of the nationwide “Hide the Pride” campaign, which was launched by the ultra-conservative group CatholicVote in 2022. It calls for supporters to identify queer books in library Pride displays and then check them out of the library so young readers can’t access them.
Assistant Director of the Ferndale Area District Library Jordan Wright told Metro Timesthe books on display were replaced with “religious materials.”
“Additionally, many of our other LGBTQ titles, specifically focused on trans topics or with trans characters were pulled from the shelves,” Wright says. “There are lists circulating online that are often used by these people.”
The library repurchased the materials and also launched a successful crowdfunding campaign to buy backup copies in case something like this happens again.
he Ferndale Area District Library hasn’t had any issues with the Pride display before and will continue to champion diversity.
https://michiganadvance.com/2023/06/2...
A Queer History of the United States for Young People
The Transgender Child: Revised & Updated Edition: A Handbook for Parents and Professionals Supporting Transgender and Nonbinary Children
So This Is Ever After
Melissa
This Book Is Gay
What If It's Us
The Loophole
Lark & Kasim Start a Revolution
Unashamed: A Coming-Out Guide for LGBTQ Christians
+ more!
There's a whole lot of good news about librarians doing their jobs and upholding the library bill of rights, celebrating Pride and helping create a safe space for kids. There are also stories about fighting, threats to a poet at an LGBTQ+ event in Vermont and would-be censors but mostly the news today is good.
In South Carolina, the librarian at the Traveler's Rest Library (Greenville County) refused to remove a Pride Month display, defying his leadership’s demands.The Travelers Rest branch manager, Nathan Schmaltz, told The Post and Courier June 20 he believed removing the display in the foyer as administrators instructed would go against his belief as a librarian that he should serve the entire community.
Schmaltz said he’d worked through these changes with his staff for months, and even removed a display and redesigned it earlier in June to meet a new library system policy.
Next week, the library board is poised to consider a vote to remove all displays until the library system’s policy can be rethought after a board member said a new policy the body voted on in April was “inadequate.” The policy required all displays to be approved by the library system’s executive director.
The comment came during a committee meeting last week in response to systemwide confusion and tension, which included a confrontation between a librarian and a patron over a Pride Month display.
In reworking the display, Schmaltz and his staff replaced it with what he called a “generic” Pride Month display meant to represent the seasonal nature of Pride Month, much like Hispanic Heritage Month or Black History Month, a token display to bring awareness of marginalized segments of the community.
He was directed to take it down.
This time, he said administrators had gone too far.
“My job as a public librarian is to serve everyone in my community,” he said. “The Greenville County Library System has had ample opportunity to do outreach to marginalized groups and instead of doing so they have just made things worse. I can’t in good conscience continue to be a part of that.”
In an emailed directive, Brian Morrison, GCLS access and discovery director, told Schmaltz the library system doesn’t want to post content in its foyer displays “that could be interpreted as if the Library System has taken a position on a particular subject.”
Morrison said the imperative, “Read with Pride,” signaled approval by the library system. He further said that if Schmaltz wanted to include an LGBTQ+ display, he could submit a request for one to be located in the adult section inside the library.
At issue is the autonomy of branch managers to create displays for their own communities versus the library board of trustees’ direction that displays receive approval from the system’s central office.
[After last year's broo-ha-ha over the Pride Month display] Bill Pinkston, chair of the library board trustee’s operations committee read a prepared statement after it voted and said they would work together on policies “which will be fair, inclusive and workable.”
“We also want the displays to be attractive, engaging and relevant,” he said. “That is not going to be an easy task, and may make for significant changes in the procedures for materials display.
“It may take us several steps back before we can go forward to completely meeting our goals: fair, inclusive, workable, attractive, engaging and relevant. That’s actually a pretty tall order.”
https://www.postandcourier.com/greenv...
Now there's fuss over Juneteenth and library board members aim to remove ALL displays.
https://www.postandcourier.com/greenv...
In Indiana approximately 25 people representing the Daviess County Citizens for Decency group — the same one that tried to have drag shows removed from the RiverPark Center’s GhostLight Lounge — protested outside the Daviess County Public Library on Wednesday, voicing their displeasure the library is celebrating Pride Month and providing LGBT+ information to teenagers. Roughly 100 people showed up to counterprotest, supporting the LGBT+ community and the library’s efforts.[The library offered teen goody bags and Pride displays, a QR code that can be scanned to see LGBT+ teen books an a flyer that lets the teen reader know there is an LGBT+ teen group that meets at the H.L. Neblett Community Center.
Multiple members of the group protesting said their issue was not with the LGBT community, but with the actions they claimed are targeting children along with the fact Pride celebrations and activities are taking place in buildings funded in part by taxpayer money.
“If they want to do it in a private place, fine,” Crowe said. “But in a public place that the taxpayers are funding doesn’t seem quite fair.”
Asked about the counterargument that members of the LGBT community also pay taxes and therefore should have a say in programming, Spaetti said “they do pay taxes too, but let’s just leave the controversial stuff out of it, and then none of us have a problem. Why do we need to sexualize our children with tax dollars? I don’t want the children being sexualized toward a heterosexual agenda, either. … I don’t care what religion you are, why do we need to sexualize our children?”
Wathen added, “If I owned a business, I’m not gonna come out pro-LGBTQ or anti-, because why go there and upset a bunch of people. Stay away from it.”
Cory Crick said he has been a part of the LGBT community “for a long time” and the Owensboro community for about 25 years.
Crick said it’s easy to simply not go to something if you don’t support it.
He noted that the LGBT community not only pays taxes and should be represented by shows geared toward them, but that on the flip side their tax money also goes toward programming they don’t necessarily support.
https://www.owensborotimes.com/featur...
Another Pride display vandalized, this time in Ukiah, Mendocino County, California.Pride month decorations stolen from children’s section of Ukiah library.
Rainbow decorations put up in celebration of Pride month were stolen from the Ukiah branch of the Mendocino County Library sometime on Tuesday, according to the librarian. Roughly two dozen books were initially thought to have been stolen from a Pride display in the children’s section, but they were later found hidden throughout other parts of the library.
My Moms Love Me
Mama and Mommy and Me in the Middle
Who Are You?: The Kid's Guide to Gender Identity
“The person who did this also took two children’s books about anti-racism that were not on the display. They hand-selected these books from elsewhere in the children’s library.
The matter has been reported to the Ukiah Police Department. The individual also left a “very disturbing” note.
https://mendovoice.com/2023/06/pride-...
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?stor...
The Arvada (Colorado) Library celebrates pride with teen party. The July 16 evening event put a pride-themed twist on the library’s usual Teen After Hours program, which gives teens a space to hang out after the library closes.
“It's important for people to know that the library is a place where all voices have a space," said Paola Vilaxa, manager of the library and diversity, equity and inclusion. "And that’s why we provide that platform for everyone who needs it. So, in that sense, pride at the Arvada Library is no different than any other programs that we do for Hispanic Heritage Month or the Dia De Los Muertos, or Christmas. You know, everybody has a chance to celebrate who they are.”
For pride, this celebration looked like many colorful crafts, free pride flags and stickers, snacks and even nail painting. Teens were able to hang out and celebrate in a safe space.
For Amy Truter, teen librarian, the library is “really committed to wanting to be welcoming and inclusive of everybody and making sure all of our teens know that this is a safe place for them to come and hang out and express themselves in whatever way feels good to them.”
Vilaxa believed the event was important for helping mental health.
“We know that LGBTQIA+ youth have higher rates of suicide than other youth," she said. "We really want to support them, and want to provide a safe space for them to create community. I think that for us it is really important to support the mental health of all of our teens.”
In addition to supporting teen’s mental health, Truter emphasized the need for teens to simply have their own space.
“I think it's really important to like, have those spaces where teens can come and just chill and be themselves,” she said. “Especially with teens, giving them a space away from their parents to talk to other teens and hang out and just feel free to be themselves in whatever form that takes."
https://arvadapress.com/stories/arvad...
Vermont's Congressional delegation condemns hate.“Hate should have no place in Vermont,” U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and U.S. Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt. said in the statement. “It’s disturbing to see homophobia and racism loud and present here in Vermont.”
“Extremism and hate must be answered,” Sanders, Welch and Balint said in the statement. “We cannot allow it to take root in darkness or hope it will disappear if we ignore it. We affirm, loudly and with pride, our commitment to an equitable, welcoming, inclusive Vermont.”
https://vtdigger.org/2023/06/16/vermo...
North Shelby, Alabama stands on the side of freedom to read in spite of community push back.A Pride Month display in the children’s section of the North Shelby Library has caused a heated debate in the community.
The topic took center stage at the library’s public board meeting Monday morning as dozens of local citizens packed the meeting that lasted for hours and turned tense at times.
The display in question consists of a shelf of a few LGBTQ+ focused books surrounding a multi-colored sign, saying “Take pride in reading.”
Members of the local LGBTQ+ community, as well as allies, parents, grandparents, educators and other “concerned citizens” all spoke before the board, which was tasked with deciding if the display was “age-inappropriate” and should be removed.
The speeches were strictly reserved for district residents who were each allowed two minutes. Those in favor of removing the display said they don’t want books censored or banned but the display moved or changed to another location.
Katie Bailey is the former director of the North Shelby Library. She said per state and national library codes, it is the board’s job to protect the library’s intellectual freedom. In the past, she added, the library has had similar pride displays with no issue.
“An 8.5 x 11 piece of paper, that’s the sum total [of the display],” Bailey said.
For her, the best solution to solving future debates is to keep civility and kindness top of mind, even if you disagree.
“These days, we are not treating each other as humans, we are treating each other as adversaries in some sort of invisible war,” Bailey said.
After the vote, Kate Etheredge, the Director of Library Services, provided the below statement to CBS42.
“The North Shelby Library has displays in our departments for major holidays and recognition months. Our goal when creating displays is to provide easy access to materials that people may be searching for because of current events, popularity, holidays, or national celebrations. The displays also help make sure all patrons see themselves and their families reflected in the library.
The Library has had a Pride display in each of the departments (Children’s, Young Adult, and Adult) since at least 2010. The children’s display includes age-appropriate materials about families of all kinds, love, kindness, being yourself, and LGBTQ+ history. The responsibility for the choice of library materials to check out for minors rests with their parents or legal guardians. The library staff are ready to assist patrons who want to find books that are appropriate for their family.”
https://www.cbs42.com/news/pride-mont...
North Shelby Library dismisses public concerns — Votes to keep 'Pride' display in children’s area featuring books about transgender kids, other LGBTQ topics.
The North Shelby Library Board (NSLB) voted to keep a “pride” display in its children’s area on Monday as a large crowd gathered to speak for and against the display at its meeting.
The display is in the room designated for the library’s children’s books and is located behind the help desk. It features several supposed children's books pertaining to gay and transgender people, including “Calvin,” which is about a female child who begins to identify as a male.
When parents noticed the display earlier this month, several reached out to the library expressing concern that it was not age appropriate.
After calling Monday’s meeting to order, NSLB president Kay Kelley said the display did not violate library policy, and that to remove the display, the library would have to change its policy around censorship.
"I've read every complaint that has come in, and so far, every solution that I've read gets into the censorship,” she said.
Some Shelby County citizens concerned about the display expressed frustration, suggesting that the books did not have to be censored or even removed from the library but simply moved to the adult section and not put on display in the children’s section.
“I do not want any book censored,” said Shelby County resident Noah Webster, speaking in favor of removing the display. “I do not want any book banned. This is the United States. We do not ban, censor or burn books. We read them. At the appropriate time in the appropriate context. The issue at hand today is about displays of books made available for children, children who are learning primary colors, not necessarily political connotations for a rainbow.”
"Today, I'm not angry. I'm disappointed," said another resident. "We're not requesting that anything be banned or done away, but simply be moved to the adult area."
Others pointed out that parents were allowed to take their children to other parts of the library and that a book not being on display didn't mean parents couldn't help their kids find it.
Several of those in favor of keeping the display suggested the display did not interfere with parents’ rights to exercise judgment over what their children read.
One resident mentioned that, according to the library’s policy, parents could not leave their children unattended. Another told concerned parents on the other side of the issue that if they didn't like the display, they could simply “walk past it.”
"It's a library,” said one resident in favor of keeping the display. “No one’s going to force my children to check out the book. Not even me. But I also get the final say in what they bring home.”
Local minister Micheal Tribble questioned the assumption on the side of those vying to keep the display that the transgender and gay community had to have its own display to be represented and not oppressed.
“Disagreement does not equal hate,” Tribble added. “I would say to the people on the other side of the argument that if you think that because I disagree with you that I hate you then by definition that means you hate me.”
He said he’d hoped to propose that the NSLB and the library director, if they were to keep the pride display, put up another display offering traditional views on sexuality and gender.
The library does have half of a shelf of biblical books for kids in the back of the children's section.
Board member Lucy Edwards introduced a motion to change the library's policy to allow the board to take into consideration whether certain content for children was age appropriate. Edwards was the only member of the five-member board to vote in favor of the motion.
State Rep. Susan DuBose (R-Hoover), who represents the area and spoke prior to the vote, explained to 1819 News that the North Shelby County library system was unique in that it was completely funded by dues from homeowners and businesses in the community.
"This particular library board has complete authority over the library," DuBose explained. "They do not report to anybody else … They make all the policies, the expenditures and the hiring decisions for that library … Unfortunately, the vote … simply to allow the board to vote whether they thought a display or a program was age-inappropriate … was voted down."
DuBose also said that the library board members were elected officials, although they've never had their names on a ballot because they've never been contested. Three NSLB members will face elections in September of next year. Qualifying will begin in July of next year.
"The vote was to change the policy to allow the board to have the right to make those decisions as opposed to a policy where we go in and determine whether or not our policies have been followed," Kelley told 1819 News when asked for comment. "That was what the vote was."
https://1819news.com/news/item/north-...
Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World
When Aidan Became A Brother
What Is Love?
Love Made Me More
I Am Perfectly Designed
The List of Things That Will Not Change
My Two Moms
Love Is
Jo: A Graphic Novel
The Cardboard Kingdom #2: Roar of the Beast:
Calvin
Question: If they haven't read the books then how do they know the books are not age appropriate?! What age are they even talking about? Some are picture books, some are middle grades and some YA. That's not one single "age". Of course a YA book isn't age appropriate for a picture book age kid! They're just fussing because they see something they don't understand and fear it.
Pinellas teachers challenge 2 school board members tied to Moms for LibertyThe pair have harassed high school history teacher Brandt Robinson, according to a teachers union grievance.
The Pinellas County teachers union and two school board members affiliated with the Moms for Liberty group appear headed for a showdown.
Their differences are coming to a head over the way the board members have talked about one of the union’s most outspoken members.
As candidates, Dawn Peters and Stephanie Meyer made no secret of their disdain for teachers who in their view advanced a liberal agenda in the classroom. They often focused on Dunedin High’s Brandt Robinson, who has gained a high profile by making daily TikTok videos on his views. He also protested outside the Moms for Liberty national conference in Tampa last summer.
Peters stated on Facebook under Robinson’s photo in 2022 that “we have GOT to get these teachers out of our schools!!”
After their election to the board in November, Peters and Meyer continued to criticize Robinson on social media — particularly on the private Moms for Liberty Pinellas chapter page. There, they have “liked” comments calling him a “creeper” and a “predator,” and participated in chats about making unannounced visits to his classroom to see what he is teaching.
The Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association wants the treatment of Robinson to stop before it spreads to other faculty members.
In a grievance filed in early June, the teachers union accused Meyer and Peters of violating several sections of the district’s teacher contract, board-adopted policy, Department of Education rules and state law in their treatment of Robinson. The allegations range from harassing a teacher to violating Florida’s Sunshine Law by having discussions about an employee in a forum that is not publicly accessible.
The union pointed to the section of district policy that states the board “will not tolerate harassment or abuse of teachers by parents, other citizens and/or other board employees.” It also referred to a section stating that any complaint against a teacher “by a school board member, or which comes to the attention of a board member ... shall be referred to the superintendent for appropriate action.”
Robinson and the union have asked both board members for a public apology, along with their disavowal of any harassment by Moms for Liberty. Beyond that, they asked the district to conduct an investigation into the members’ actions, and for sanctions as appropriate and authorized.
School board attorney David Koperski wrote a letter to union executive director Lindsey Blankenbaker stating that the complaint was not valid.
Koperski wrote that individual board members are not party to the district’s collective bargaining agreement with teachers and, as such, cannot violate it.
“Individually, they do not have the authority or the responsibility to act on behalf of the school board, do not implement the provisions of the (agreement) and are not employees or administrators subject to the (agreement),” he wrote.
Blankenbaker said she anticipated a conservative, legalistic response. She noted that individual teachers technically are not parties to the contract either, but added that they are bound by its terms.
She suggested that since the board as a body ratifies the agreement, the individual members also would be responsible to follow it. Beyond that, she added, board members must follow district policies, department rules and state laws.
The union is considering options that include requesting arbitration and filing a complaint to the state ethics commission.
It also might turn to the full school board for intervention. It is not unheard of for a board to sanction individual members over their actions.
https://www.tampabay.com/news/educati...
WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — On Monday, the Williamson County Board of Education voted to side with their review committee and keep five books on high school shelves.In two separate 8-2 votes, Speak, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Field Guide to the North American Teenager + adult books “Where the Crawdads Sing”, “”, and “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” were all kept in the library!
Before voting to keep these books on shelves, the board did say they want to take a look at instituting a rating system for books with material that could be considered inappropriate.
The board member who suggested the rating system said it would be something similar to how movies are rated.
https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/...
Nixa, Missouri revisits book banningNixa School Board to review multiple books that parents want banned or violate state law.
Blankets
The Handmaid's Tale: The Graphic Novel
The Complete Maus
The district says the materials have been through library and administrative review, and now are passed to the Nixa School Board for a final decision. Another set of books was submitted through the review committee process and have written appeals to the Nixa School Board for a final decision.
Empire of Storms
Lucky
Something Happened in Our Town: A Child's Story About Racial Injustice
Unpregnant
”The board is going to take a look at these four books, and then they will make a decision of whether to retain it or restrict it,” said Rantz.
https://www.ky3.com/2023/06/20/nixa-s...
Mod
The pair have harassed high school history teacher Brandt Robinson, according to a teachers union grievance.
The Pinell..."
Glad that Dawn Peters and Stephanie Meyer have been publicly identified, but yes, they need need to be sanctioned and removed as school board members and with the same prejudice that they themselves are using.
A dear friend of mine went to Pinellas Park High School in the 90s and things were bad back then. She's open to her kids reading banned books when they're ready and if they're interested. I just offered her It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health to share with them when they're a little older.
Mod
If I had gone to a high school like Pinellas Park, I probably would have gotten expelled or worse because I would not have been either able or willing to keep my mouth shut and I would have loudly called ANY book banners (parents, teachers etc.) Nazis or Stalinists to their faces.
Manybooks wrote: "QNPoohBear wrote: "A dear friend of mine went to Pinellas Park High School in the 90s and things were bad back then. She's open to her kids reading banned books when they're ready and if they're in..."She sort of did! She quit before she got kicked out but she probably would be now if things were as bad back then as they are now. We'll see what happens because she's still in a book banning state with two school age kids
Mod
I guess she can let her children read banned books, but I am getting a bit worried that in the most vehemently extremist book banning states, even having books deemed offensive at home and letting one's children read banned books outside of school could easily become something punishable by fines and jail time ...
Mod
It sounds like they misunderstood. The article does state the library has been around 25 years and is a sanctuary.
https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/ne...
Yes, sounds like it was a misunderstanding by Book Riot. Thank you for posting that clarification.
Mod
I got worried and checked the LGBTQ+ children's books in our library catalog because this sounds like the sort of thing some conservatives might do around here but, fortunately, it looks fairly normal numbers -- several but not all copies of some titles checked out, all of another, none of some. I hope this means that the books that are checked out are being read by those who want to read them and not being horded by those who don't want them read by anyone.
People have ALWAYS checked out and hoarded books they object to, that's nothing new, but this time it was an organized and deliberate attempt to "hide the pride" by an organization, which is new. The same libraries that are getting flack have had Pride Month displays before and never had problems. It's hard to tell if someone is hoarding books they object to. I question it sometimes if ALL the books I want are checked out but much of the neighborhood is super super liberal so I just don't know. I could ask the children's librarians if I see them when kids aren't around. Maybe this summer.
Mod
Indeed. It's very distressing.
More stories popped up on my feed this morning from the last few days.In Kentucky, The Walton-Verona Board of Education approved a policy Thursday that will allow parents to submit complaints about school materials that they consider “harmful” for students.
Dubbed the “Harmful to Minors” Complaint Resolution Process, the policy was approved in response to Kentucky’s Senate Bill 5, or the “parental rights bill,” which was passed earlier this year. The bill requires that education boards throughout the state implement a policy for parents to submit complaints about their school’s curriculum or instruction that they believe is inappropriate for children.
“We actually already had a policy in place – most school districts do,” said board member Aubrey Ryan. “It basically says that if a parent has a complaint, they contact the principal and get the details of the complaint and try to resolve it, and if they’re not happy with that resolution, then they can bring it to us.”
Under the measure, parents that believe they have identified material that is harmful to students will be able to send written complaints directly to the school’s principal.
The principal will have seven business days to investigate the allegations and determine whether the materials in question will be removed from the school.
Within 10 business days, the principal will inform the parent whether or not the material was determined to be “harmful to minors” and what the resolution will be.
Parents that disagree with the principal’s verdict can appeal to the school board for further review, where they will have 30 days to analyze the material and make a vote.
The sponsor of the bill, Sen. Jason Howell (R-Murray), said that it will allow parents “to have a voice when [instructional materials] are in conflict with their family’s values and beliefs.”
https://linknky.com/news/2023/06/17/w...
THIS ONE at least provides a description of harmful to minors but still is up for debate. What constitutes obscene? I Need a New Butt! depiction of buttocks? In the Night Kitchen naked baby? I honestly don't remember seeing his you know what but I do remember Sendak has depicted baby butts in his books. Is just the naked baby obscene or can it be more than that? How about non-fiction sex-ed books that are being challenged left and right?
In library school they prepared us for censors hiding books, defacing books by blocking out passages they object to and checking out books they don't want people to read. They did not, in my day, prepare for organized hate, violence and threats, like this school librarian, Amanda Jones, in Louisiana. Listen to her story on NPRhttps://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2023/...
The love she got from her former students is touching and hopeful!
New state laws compel Washington County Utah School District to adopt policy regarding sensitive material.District policy 4211 – Media Center Library Materials “supports the acquisition and maintenance of materials that are educationally suitable for students.”
It also outlines the process for challenging materials to be decided if they are “p___raphic” or “age-appropriate” to students.
Cox said the policy regarding curriculum is basically the same thing, outlining the same definitions and the same “challenge” process of materials used as a curriculum within the classroom.
“We adapted a lot of language and terminology and all the laws that apply that we used in 4211 – library policy and adapted it to work in the curriculum space,” he said.
The new law requires all school boards and districts to make all “supplemental materials” used by the district viewable to parents and requires a process of review for those materials.
There are a few curricula that are not covered by this policy as it is covered under other state laws. These include sex education, medical courses, some family and consumer sciences courses and any course that the course Utah State Board of Education exempts.
“The law actually governs that in a very directive way,” he said. “As well as parents have to opt-in for their children to participate in that curriculum.”
Cox said the policy identifies three different types of materials: learning material, instructional material and supplemental material.
Learning material is any material used to give a student’s learning such as textbooks, videos, etc. Instructional material is any learning material approved by the district to use while supplemental material is anything the teacher or an educator selects to use within their classroom.
Any of these can be selected to be reviewed as “sensitive materials” except nonfiction which includes the sex education courses.
A parent can challenge the curriculum resources by filing with the district Form 945, “Request for Review of Learning Materials” form.
The curriculum material is then reviewed by a School Supplemental Material Review Committee which includes a school principal, a school counselor/psychiatrist/or wellness staff member, two parents recommended by the school’s community council and one faculty member from the department or grade level.
The review committee can’t have the “challenger” or anyone within the “challenger’s household” within the group.
This committee reviews the curriculum material and decides if the challenge is legit and if the curriculum material must be removed from the school. If there is not, then the curriculum material use may be resumed.
A “challenger” can be a parent or guardian of a student and can only be challenged at the school where their child attends. “Challengers” can also be staff but only at the schools where they work, unless they are acting as parents of where their child(ren) attends.
Each “challenger” is allowed three submissions per school year.
https://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/arc...
Also in Utah, the Bible has been returned to the shelves in a northern Utah school district that provoked an outcry after it banned them from middle and elementary schools last month.Officials from the Davis School District, which educates 72,000 students north of Salt Lake City, said at a board meeting Tuesday that the district had determined the sacred text was age-appropriate for all district libraries. In allowing the Bible to be accessible to students regardless of their grade level, the board sided with 70 people who filed appeals after it was banned last month.
“Based on their assessment of community standards, the appeal committee determined that The Bible has significant, serious value for minors which outweighs the violent or vulgar content it contains,” the committee wrote in a decision published along with school board materials.
....
“The magnitude of the value of the Bible as a literary work outweighs any violence or profanity which may be contained in the book,” Davis School District Board Vice President Brigit Gerrard said.
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/06...
Sadly, Gov. Abbott of Texas is at it again and joins Tennessee, Montana and Florida in banning "‘sexually oriented performances" in front of minors. The word "drag" was removed but opponents fear that it means trans and drag including drag queen story time.https://thehill.com/homenews/lgbtq/40...
Even in LA, people are fighting over books! A Huntington Beach city council member is raising concerns over children’s library books that she believes are obscene and should not be accessible to young people.
Gracey Van Der Mark, Huntington Beach Mayor Pro Tem, says there are several books in circulation at the library that are too sexually explicit for children and teenagers.
“We’re just trying to start a dialogue with our city staff, our librarians, our city attorney to what it is we can do to protect our children without violating anyone’s freedom of speech,” Van Der Mark said.
She believes there should be new rules put in place to restrict children’s and teens’ access to inappropriate books.
“So for example, if there’s a book that has sexually explicit content, should we put a label on it so the parents know what is in there? Should we put it in a different section? Should we require an ID to show that you’re an adult to check it out? We’re looking for solutions right now,” she said.
Critics including other city council members believe her proposal is unnecessary and could set a dangerous precedent.
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/o-c-...
Frederick County, Maryland is still reviewing books and won't be expected to make a decision until next school year! "A Frederick County Public Schools committee charged with reviewing 35 challenged library books has reached a consensus on all but four of them, officials said.
But the 59 parents, teachers, students and experts on the review committee determined that four of the books require further discussion.
Kevin Cuppett, FCPS’ executive director of curriculum, instruction and innovation, wrote in an email Tuesday that the committee has reached a consensus on what should happen to 31 of the books.
The other four books are being assigned to new subcommittees, each of which will have at least 11 members, the FCPS news release said.
Those subcommittees — whose members will be chosen from the existing pool of main committee members — will meet, deliberate and make final recommendations in July.
Once committee members have made a final decision on all 35 books, their recommendations will be compiled and delivered to FCPS Deputy Superintendent Mike Markoe.
Markoe, in turn, will make a recommendation to FCPS Superintendent Cheryl Dyson, who has the final say.
Cindy Rose, a former school board candidate who submitted a complaint about the 35 titles, said she compiled the list using ratedbooks.org, which launched a campaign to ban what it deemed to be “pornographic” books from Utah schools, according to its site.
The vast majority of the titles are only available in high school libraries, according to FCPS’ online catalogue. Three are available in traditional middle schools, and seven are available at Heather Ridge School, a nontraditional facility for students with behavioral challenges that serves both middle and high schoolers.
The books span a range of genres and subjects. Many are romance novels written for young adults.
The review committee’s meetings were closed to the public.
https://www.fredericknewspost.com/new...
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Maybe in order to keep these types of books safe, libraries should also keep copies of the books for library use only and to also make sure that the books are not being removed on the sly (and if yes, this should be considered thievery).
Manybooks wrote: "Maybe in order to keep these types of books safe, libraries should also keep copies of the books for library use only and to also make sure that the books are not being removed on the sly (and if yes, this should be considered thievery).."People still take them and hide them in other parts of the library and they will still complain to the librarians! That is nothing new. Yes it is considered theft to remove the books but police don't comment on open investigations and the media NEVER follows-up to say "Members of Moms for Liberty/insert extremist group here" were charged with theft of library property."
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Moms for Liberty and other such vile entities are being both coddled and supported by unhinged and power hungry politicians and that has to change but will likely never change and just seemingly get worse.
This just in. Moms for Liberty has come out in the open about their objective! Moms for Liberty's Hamilton County chapter founder actually quoted Hitler in their newsletterI guarantee you they'll claim the quote was meant for "liberal indoctrination" and NOT their objective!
A new version of the front page without the quote or explanation was uploaded.
"We condemn Adolf Hitler's actions and his dark place in human history," the statement from chapter chairwoman Paige Miller reads. "We should not have quoted him in our newsletter and express our deepest apology."
The original pages of the newsletter, which were posted on the group's Facebook page Wednesday night, showed below The Parent Brigade's masthead a quote Hitler used at a Nazi rally in 1935: "He alone, who OWNS the youth, GAINS the future."
https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2...
An updated version of the story claims they apologized. I knew they'd make a lame excuse. Note they also feature a story on "Biblical education."
"The quote from a horrific leader should put parents on alert," the update says. "If the government has control over our children today, they control our country's future. We The People must be vigilant and protect children from an overreaching government."
Below Hitler's words on the original front page appeared a message from Moms for Liberty national co-founders Tiffany Justice and Tina Descovich, with the headline: "Moms for Liberty will not be be intimidated by hate groups!"
Justice and Descovich appeared to be responding to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which labeled the Florida-headquartered Moms for Liberty and 11 other right-wing “parents' rights” organizations as extremist groups in its annual report, released earlier this month.
“(The movement) is primarily aimed at not wanting to include our hard history, topics of racism, and a very strong push against teaching anything having to do with LGBTQ topics in schools,” Susan Corke, an SPLC official, told USA TODAY.
The Parent Brigade newsletter also called out sponsors of Carmel Pride, labeling the event "perversion."
I seem to have missed the news that one of our previous group reads, Love That Dog, was challenged and censored by Moms for Liberty in Williamson County, Tenn. No reason given. They also challenged Walk Two Moons which I knew about and I know Indigenous people don't like that one either. Another book they censored is The River Between Us which I LOVED at the time but a White man writing from the perspective of a biracial woman is probably unacceptable today. The novel deals with tough topics on race and the Civil War."A Williamson County Schools committee has removed one book from the district's elementary school English language arts curriculum and restricted seven others.
The committee also set teaching requirements for seven books that include:
Skipping pages when reading aloud
Warning school counselors in advance when a book is being read in classrooms
WCS and the report are clear that these instructional changes to the elementary school curriculum will not impact library books, if librarians currently have or add them to their libraries
"With the one book that (teachers) aren't going to use anymore, that doesn't mean it isn't going to be part of the school," WCS communications director Carol Birdsong said. "It's just not going to be part of the curriculum."
The report makes clear the recommendations only apply to curriculum.
"The conclusions are not intended to apply to classroom libraries, media centers/libraries, or any other location that is not considered core instruction," the report said.
Walk Two Moons The committee determined although the book supports the curriculum and has "strength and value," it ultimately has "objectionable content."
"The repetitive nature of the emotionally weighted topics throughout the book, the emotional resonation of the text being extremely high, and overall concern with the timing being the end of the school year all give the committee great concern," the committee wrote in a conclusion statement contained in the 114-page report.
The committee stated their decision was not a "value judgment" and they saw the book as having "great merit, however any adjustment to the book's instruction would influence the value and integrity of this book."
Moms for Liberty's objections included “stick figures hanging, cursing and miscarriage, hysterectomy/stillborn and screaming during labor," group members said during a hearing on the book. In addition, the group in the complaint said the district should:
“continue to let children have their innocence."
“we are not sending kids to learn about social justice.”
Such topics “need to be taught in the home."
The review committee was comprised of five members, including Williamson County Schools Assistant Superintendent Juli Oyer; Michelle Organ, a PTO representative; Jill Justus, an elementary school principal; Williamson County school board member KC Haugh; and Sharla Bratton, a Williamson County Education Association representative.
Committee members spent more than 60 hours reviewing the instructional materials, including whether each text supported the curriculum, “had strength and value,” and/or had “objectionable content.”
According to board policy, the committee's review and conclusions are final and do not need board approval.
State guidance allows students, parents or staff who believe the curriculum or lessons include topics prohibited under state law, to appeal to the Tennessee Department of Education — Moms for Liberty had already filed an appeal."
https://www.tennessean.com/story/news...
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Lots more news came through last night/this morning. I missed one or two stories that may pop up later.Hempfield (Penn.) Area School Board may vote on book-challenge, acquisition policies at next meeting.
After nearly 18 months of meetings, debates and changes, Hempfield Area School Board members sent two controversial policies back to their policy committee for additional tweaks.
The policies are centered around the purchase of resource materials, with a particular focus on books available in the district’s libraries, and the procedure for challenging their use and availability to students.
With regard to a policy for choosing resource materials, school director Tony Bompiani suggested carving out a specific procedure for library books.
“If we had a 30-day review process for them, that would give us more of a chance to evaluate materials before we bring them to the library and they end up being challenged,” Bompiani said.
School director Jerry Radebaugh agreed.
“Why can’t we put a list together of future book purchases for parents to review?” Radebaugh asked. “Anything we can do to filter material on the front end would help streamline the process. And if someone sees something that doesn’t align with the (policy), it can be challenged with respect to the (policy itself), not fully challenged after we’ve bought it as part of reevaluation.”
The latest version of the policy, dated April 19, notes materials with mature content “require careful review.” That content includes “offensive representations or descriptions of [obscene content listed in the spoiler tag] (view spoiler) and also includes instances of ethnic intimidation, and lays out specific guidelines for both elementary and secondary schools.
The proposed policy regarding a request for reevaluation of resource materials was changed very little. If a book or other resource material is challenged, the person bringing the challenge will attend an informal meeting with district staff. If they still wish to request a reevaluation, a committee is formed to respond to the request.
On Monday, several board members and parents suggested removing a requirement that the committee should include a high school student.
“Given the difficulties that this board has had with this issue, I don’t think a student should be put into that situation,” said school board President Paul Ward.
The draft also removed a reference to maintaining the anonymity of committee members undertaking a request for reevaluation.
Greg Myer of Hempfield asked the board to keep children and parents “front and center” when making more tweaks to the policy.
“Part of evaluating materials is seeing how they reflect the community at large and what the community thinks of them,” Myer said. “Ideally, you’d publish the material someplace like the newspaper. But no newspaper would ever publish some of the things in these books."
(In response to)
All Boys Aren't Blue
The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person
https://triblive.com/local/westmorela...
Lots more news came through last night/this morning. I missed one or two stories that may pop up later.Hempfield (Penn.) Area School Board may vote on book-challenge, acquisition policies at next meeting.
After nearly 18 months of meetings, debates and changes, Hempfield Area School Board members sent two controversial policies back to their policy committee for additional tweaks.
The policies are centered around the purchase of resource materials, with a particular focus on books available in the district’s libraries, and the procedure for challenging their use and availability to students.
With regard to a policy for choosing resource materials, school director Tony Bompiani suggested carving out a specific procedure for library books.
“If we had a 30-day review process for them, that would give us more of a chance to evaluate materials before we bring them to the library and they end up being challenged,” Bompiani said.
School director Jerry Radebaugh agreed.
“Why can’t we put a list together of future book purchases for parents to review?” Radebaugh asked. “Anything we can do to filter material on the front end would help streamline the process. And if someone sees something that doesn’t align with the (policy), it can be challenged with respect to the (policy itself), not fully challenged after we’ve bought it as part of reevaluation.”
The latest version of the policy, dated April 19, notes materials with mature content “require careful review.” That content includes “offensive representations or descriptions of [obscene content listed in the spoiler tag] (view spoiler) and also includes instances of ethnic intimidation, and lays out specific guidelines for both elementary and secondary schools.
The proposed policy regarding a request for reevaluation of resource materials was changed very little. If a book or other resource material is challenged, the person bringing the challenge will attend an informal meeting with district staff. If they still wish to request a reevaluation, a committee is formed to respond to the request.
On Monday, several board members and parents suggested removing a requirement that the committee should include a high school student.
“Given the difficulties that this board has had with this issue, I don’t think a student should be put into that situation,” said school board President Paul Ward.
The draft also removed a reference to maintaining the anonymity of committee members undertaking a request for reevaluation.
Greg Myer of Hempfield asked the board to keep children and parents “front and center” when making more tweaks to the policy.
“Part of evaluating materials is seeing how they reflect the community at large and what the community thinks of them,” Myer said. “Ideally, you’d publish the material someplace like the newspaper. But no newspaper would ever publish some of the things in these books."
(In response to)
All Boys Aren't Blue
The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person
https://triblive.com/local/westmorela...
Miami-Dade County is looking to revise their book banning policy after the Amanda Gorman debacle. They were embarrassed more than they were upset at the books that were banned." Miami-Dade County school board member Steve Gallon hopes to strengthen the district's policies to ensure staff is better equipped to handle frivolous book challenges.
"I thought the national embarrassment that we faced as a district was due to a lack of communication at every level," Gallon adds. "Although the school site carried out their duties to the best of their understanding, there was no notification to the region, district, and obviously to the board. We're going to be transparent. If we follow the letter of the law, we need to review this particular process and make adjustments to the procedures to review compliance and notification at every level."
Miami-Dade County school board member Steve Gallon hopes to strengthen the district's policies to ensure staff is better equipped to handle frivolous book challenges.
Gallon tells New Times the challenge to Gorman's poetry book — submitted by an activist parent who incorrectly thought Oprah Winfrey wrote the work — was "woefully deficient" and used vague, culture-war dog whistles to prompt the material's removal from an elementary school library section.
"I thought the national embarrassment that we faced as a district was due to a lack of communication at every level," Gallon adds. "Although the school site carried out their duties to the best of their understanding, there was no notification to the region, district, and obviously to the board. We're going to be transparent. If we follow the letter of the law, we need to review this particular process and make adjustments to the procedures to review compliance and notification at every level."
Gallon says school leadership committees who review challenges need to be better trained on what qualifies as a legitimate objection. He proposes a measure entitled "Review of Policy 2510 and Procedures for Instructional Materials Review, Challenge, and Removal."
Gallon adds that if a challenge is incomplete or severely deficient, the school should send the form back to the challenger for possible resubmission consistent with the law and school board rules.
"It is one parent's representation that these works represented indoctrination," Gallon tells New Times. "There was no debate. There was no discourse. There was no explicit dialogue to have the individual defend their representation of it being indoctrination."
"When you use arbitrary words, such as 'indoctrination,' and you are erroneous in your identification of who the author is, that tells me that, number one, the document for the challenge was deficient, and number two, the decision to respond to it... was not in comportment with the policy and statue," Gallon argues.
"Obviously, p___ography, profanity, and some things are divisive and openly hateful. These titles that were cited were none of those," Gallon tells New Times. "I want to deal with the issue of what is cited as 'age-appropriate.' Are we talking content? Are we talking readability? Are we talking both?"
Gallon says he's confident his measure will pass, as it is co-sponsored by the remaining eight members of the school board.
https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/mi...
/https://pdfs.dadeschools.net/Bdarch/2...
Yet another public library Blasco Library in Erie County, Penn. removed a Pride Month display, reportedly due to miscommunication. They were told to MOVE IT out of the children's area! https://www.goerie.com/story/news/loc...
Even in California the parents are clashing and getting into physical fights."GLENDALE, Calif. (CITC) — A southern California school district continues to face criticism for incorporating topics related to gender identity and sexual orientation into its curriculums.
The Glendale Unified School District's (GUSD) school board met for the first time Tuesday since its June 6 meeting that drew hundreds of parents and local police. A proposed resolution to foster discussions relating to gender identity and sexual orientation in GUSD classrooms, which was ultimately approved, was the top motivator for parents to speak.
The resolution also permitted GUSD to officially recognize June as Pride Month.
At the time, some parents applauded GUSD for what they felt were examples of inclusivity. However, others felt the resolution was another example of the district failing to prioritize academics.
Several attendees raised concerns that GUSD students are being "sexualized" through the school board's resolution. They also accused the school board of promoting "indoctrination."
However, others continued to support GUSD's efforts and accused those in opposition of sharing "misinformation."
.
GUSD school board president Nayiri Nahabedian seemingly condemned those who have publicly criticized the board's resolution. She told attendees Tuesday that "angry rhetoric has been ratcheted up" and "they really must stop."
A spokesperson for GUSD told Crisis in the Classroom (CITC) that the district "follows all laws and policies established by the California legislature and Department of Education."
https://kmph.com/news/local/parents-c...
Trigger warning: More horrible rhetoric from politicians who don't understand that the concept of gender identity and sexuality does not equal the sex act or sexualize children. IF she bothered to read The Big Book of Pride Flags, she would know what the flags mean and why. Even Google and fact check sites tell her that the Progress Pride Flag represents the transgender community. (Pink, white and light blue for the Trans community, gender non-binary, intersex and those across the gender spectrum.) and brown and black for people of color + the rainbow to represent life (red), healing (orange), sunlight (yellow), nature (Green), serenity (Indigo) and spirit (violet). In California - again-
Temecula councilmember walks off dais over LGBTQ Pride Month proclamation
When Temecula Mayor Zak Schwank started reading, City Councilmember Jessica Alexander started walking.
Alexander, an outspoken Christian conservative, walked off the council dais during a recent meeting as the mayor began to read a proclamation honoring LGBTQ Pride Month in the city.
Before she left, Alexander decried what she described as sexually explicit LGBTQ flags, including one she said promotes p___hilia.
The proclamation, declared by the city’s Race, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Commission and presented to high school clubs supporting LGBTQ rights, is inappropriately aimed at children, said Alexander, who opposes the seven-member commission and criticized the Temecula City Council’s Pride Month proclamation in 2022.
Alexander’s comments “add fuel to the fire of anti-LGBTQ+ hatred and trafficked in long-tired tropes and outright misinformation,” Equality California, a LGBTQ civil rights group, said via email.
The councilmember “took a page out of the anti-LGBTQ+ extremist playbook by equating being LGBTQ+ with being a danger to the community, particularly young people,” the organization added.
“These offensive tropes have been thoroughly and completely debunked and it is shameful to hear them coming from an elected official in 2023.”
Reached Tuesday afternoon, June 20, Alexander said she was not able to comment at that time.
The diversity commission’s proclamation declares that Temecula “appreciates the value and dignity of each person that acknowledges the important contributions of the LGBTQ+ community to promote principles of equality, acceptance and love.”
“ … It is imperative that young people in our community feel valued, safe, empowered and supported by their peers and community leaders, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or other expression,” the proclamation read, in part.
Saying such proclamations were divisive, the council voted 3-2 in January to stop issuing citywide proclamations recognizing months such as Black History Month that celebrate cultural diversity, women’s history or the LGBTQ community.
Instead, those proclamations were left to the 2-year-old diversity commission, which took up the Pride Month proclamation at its June 7 meeting. Copies of the proclamation were given to LGBTQ clubs from the city’s high schools.
Our Watch with Tim Thompson, an online talk show featuring local conservative leader Pastor Tim Thompson, shared Alexander’s comments and praised the councilmember on Facebook.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/06/2...
GOOD news now...Nixa, Missouri which has banned several YA novels, has unanimously voted to keep The Complete Maus in schools.
https://www.news-leader.com/story/new...
And
Cincinnati's Book Fairies sprinkle magic one free library at a time
Little free libraries featuring diverse books needed in the community.
https://local12.com/news/local/cincin...
https://www.diversitybookscincy.org/
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" Miami-Dade County..."
Gosh, this reminds me of the morons in Texas who banned Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? because they thought that Bill Martin Jr. was the same Bill Martin who wrote Ethical Marxism: The Categorical Imperative of Liberation (even though they were two entirely different authors and that Bill Martin Jr. was actually long deceased when Ethical Marxism: The Categorical Imperative of Liberation was written).
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TeachTruthAction.org
I made a button that says "Teach Banned Books", made a scrapbook page for the librarians that will be displayed in the l..."
Yay! I will investigate https://surj.org/, too.
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Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias told the Sun-Times he was “blown away” after reading about book bans ac..."
Yes they are. I've heard other wonderful news out of Illinois, too.
Children's Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Out of the Blue (other topics)The Princess in Black and the Prince in Pink (other topics)
My Rainbow (other topics)
Butt or Face? Volume 3: Super Gross Butts (other topics)
The Day the Books Disappeared (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Jodi Picoult (other topics)Sarah J. Maas (other topics)
Ellen Hopkins (other topics)
Jodi Picoult (other topics)
Scott Stuart (other topics)
More...
Central York, PA votes TOMORROW! This is the 7th version of their Book banning bill! "It stems from the pulling of two books- "..."
What is the name of the board president who wants to burn books? He should have his name and address made public so that we can send him letters and cards calling him and his Nazi pigs.