Banned: A Short List

I don’t want to make this a long. I’m just giving you a short, purposeful list of things you can do to address challenges to intellectual freedom. 391 words, 2 minutes read time.

If you want to read or listen to something useful and informative, try the following.

• Read “Emily Knox Book Bannings Are A Lagging Indicator of Society’s Reaction to Change” https://faithandleadership.com/emily-knox-book-bannings-are-lagging-indicator-societys-reaction-change
• Attend EveryLibrary’s Banned Books Week Fest with over 25 panels with 45+ authors, publishing professionals, and experts on book bans and the First Amendment. https://www.everylibrary.org/elbb24
• Listen to Code Switch’s series on book bans. The most recent episode is “Fighting Back On Book Bans” https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1200121034#:~:text=The%20group%20gives%20out%20banned,need%20in%20schools%20and%20libraries.
• Join Dr. Sonja Cherry-Paul, Christina Vortia, and Lee Wind when they address what we can do to support teachers, educators, and librarians to get through these tough times and how to work to keep moving our liberatory practices further. Thursday 26 Sept, 11am/ET. register: https://sagepub.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jNnV2fxmRqWVVGcgDxkKLQ#/registration

If you want to do something more actionable, maybe you’d like to do what I’m doing this week.

1. Borrow a banned book from your local library. Read it and when you’re done, return it with a letter to the head of the library explaining why the book should be maintained in the library and in the age appropriate section. For example, if it’s a YA book, then it should always be in the YA section. Bonus points for sharing the title with friends and family!
2. Buy a copy (or two) of another banned book. Read it and share it by placing it in a local Free Little Library. What?? You don’t have one?? Then, leave the book where it’s likely to get picked up: a seat on a bus or on, on top of a mailbox, a table in a coffee shop…

One of the most important things you can do is vote in the upcoming election. Book banning is a challenge to intellectual freedom, a tenet of our democracy. We decide on these things in the ballot box. State and local elections are where decisions are made about how libraries are funded, what’s taught to our children, and what material can be on a library shelf.

Be well and do good!

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