Bans on Truth

The upswell in book banning and book challenges in the past couple of years has been a source of increasing alarm in the book industry, especially since the targets of the challenges have been focused specifically on LGBTQ+ books and books ostensibly about "Critical Race Theory" -- a term that has come to mean any book dealing with systemic racism or racial justice.

"Today’s anti-CRT movement epitomizes yet another dangerous and anti-democratic effort to suppress and deny the voices, power, and lived experiences of Black and Brown people in America. Now the target is the truth," notes Ishena Robinson of The Legal Defense Fund.

In an article analyzing how book bans have been weaponized, Robinson points out the number of gag orders that have been implemented by local, state, and even federal agencies that prevent them from addressing or even discussing systemic racism. In September 2020 President Trump created the "Equity Gag Order" (revoked in January 2021 by incoming President Biden), which then spawned copycat bills at the state level, which have been passed in many states in SIBA territory: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia have all passed similar bills, and these have restricted the way American History can be taught or discussed in classrooms, and have imperiled teachers, librarians, and students.

Books about the Civil Rights Movement are frequent targets of book bans on the basis they promote critical race theory. Ruby Bridges Goes to School, about one of the first African American students to attend an all-white New Orleans public school, was challenged for its portrayal of the "large crowd of angry white people who didn't want Black children in a white school" and its lack of "redemption" for them.

The fact is, book bans are no longer about a few parents concerned about swear words or sex scenes in the books on the high school reading list. They are an important tool to stop people talking, and fundamentally anti-democratic.

2021 was a record year for book bans. The American Library Association reported more than 729 attempted bans of 1,597 individual books. Sadly, 2022 will probably surpass those figures.

For most of us, this week is Banned Books Week. What we need is a Banned Books Year.

Resources:
Unite Against Book Bans