We are in 2023, where book banning is still happening in the U.S. However, it has affected the school systems since the 1850s, when “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” was banned because of slavery being negatively depicted.
Republicans and right-wing groups have been pushing for censorship on books that talk about racism, child abuse and death, LBGTQ+, and sexual content. Texas, Florida, and Missouri have been ranked the highest book banned states in America. However, California will not follow suit.
On Sept. 25, Governor Gavin Newsom, approved the Assembly Bill 1078. This bill was placed to protect California’s educational systems from book bans.
“Education is a fundamental right under the California Constitution. State statutes further place upon local educational agencies the affirmative obligation to combat bias against pupils within their schools. Under California law, California schools must create an equitable learning environment where all pupils, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) pupils and Black, Indigenous, and other pupils of color feel welcome, including through honest discussions of racism, the history of slavery in our society and in California, and the diversity of gender and sexual orientation that reflects the lived reality of those pupils,” according to AB 1078.
Educators in the public school system voice their opinion on the book bans in the red states. Delta College English Professor and Librarian Lena Zaghmouri explained how book bans can be problematic.
“I am against any type of book bans and the American Library Association (ALA) is also as well because it limits people’s access to new information. It also keeps people from seeing things that are outside of their experience only because it makes them uncomfortable,” said Zaghmouri.
Linden Unified School District high school teacher Ross Powell also voiced his opinion.
“It’s tough being a teacher nowadays, especially for young children. Parents are always trying to regulate a teacher’s curriculum, it’s like you can’t tell the truth anymore. Parents are afraid of school books but they should be more afraid of social media and the internet,” said Powell.
This scary era reminds me of a “Twilight Zone” episode where books become obsolete and a librarian must stand trial for his beliefs in books. Almost two centuries later, we are still silencing authors’ stories/experiences from society. We are also silencing children’s right to an opinion. Who is next to be silenced? College students? Every American? Republicans are creating policies that have totalitarian agendas. Books should be part of the First Amendment, which is the freedom of speech. This includes the freedom of an opinion.
In 1982, the ALA created an annual commemoration called Banned Book Week. It starts from Oct. 1 to Oct. 7. The week-long event is to celebrate the prohibited books and spread awareness to the censorship in the educational system and public libraries.