THIS is how you fight book-banning "concerned parents" ...

 

h/t to Barista.net

A shout-out to the Glen Ridge Public Library Board of Trustees for voting UNANIMOUSLY to keep six YA LGBTQIA+ books available in public libraries.

When it came down to it, the eight residents of five households who had demanded the books be banned did not even have the courage to show up at the meeting.

How do you beat book-banning a-holes (assuming your Governor is not already a book-banning a-hole?)?

This is how:

Glen Ridge Public Library Board of Trustees had received 240 letters from community members and groups about the book ban attempt. More than 40 community members, leaders, librarians, educators, students, parents, elected officials, medical professionals and LGBTQIA+ advocates spoke out before the Board, with an additional 39 community members signed up to speak before the Board closed comments and began deliberations. ...

Glen Ridge resident Phil Johnson organized Glen Ridge United Against Book Bans, a dedicated group of parents, residents, clergy, and educators who fought the ban and brought awareness to the issue with a community response that included a petition signed by more than 2,900 Glen Ridge residents, as well as 300 yard signs displayed around the Borough and a rally that took place before the vote. Many of those who came out against the challenge Wednesday wore one of 300+ t-shirts designed by a local Glen Ridge artist, featuring the town’s signature lamps with a flame in Progress Pride colors, and created as part of Glen Ridge United’s efforts.

Glen Ridge United also announced it has created a fundraiser for the Friends of Glen Ridge Library.

Take note:

1. Show up in LARGE numbers so that the book banners cannot claim they speak for the people

2. If people cannot show up, gather names on petitions

3. Put up yard signs so that people can see the community is against censorship

4. Hold a public rally

5. Somebody step up and take charge

This was a public library, not a school library, so note two important points:

1. The book banners have expanded their targets, and after libraries will come brick-and-mortar and online bookstores, probably with a beginning argument for age requirements to buy certain books. 

2. What worked here WILL also work in a school district, but the book banners are ALREADY well-organized, so this is going to be a lot of work.

Duval County Florida has banned the biographies of Rosa Parks, Hank Aaron, Malala, Hiawatha, Jackie Robinson, and Sonia Sotomayor

 

... among 175 others.

The mind reels at the sheer audacity of declaring the story of Rosa Parks to be "racially divisive."

The mind melts at the idea that the biography of a sitting Supreme Court Justice is removed from the shelves.

The heart breaks to find out that we have returned to a time when Jackie Robinson is again controversial.

The rest of the list is equally bizarre, including ...

Shine a light in dark places: NCC DE Moms for Liberty -- crusaders or useful tools??

 

This is what the national Moms for Liberty organization says on its "Who We Are" page:

This is what they don't tell you:

THIS is one of the most dangerous websites in America

You probably don't WANT to visit RatedBooks.org, which is an unspoken product of the whacko Moms for Liberty, but maybe this quote will convince you that you need to do so:

"Unlike books' much younger cousins in the media family - movies, television programs, music, and video games - books remain unrated."

This is the website that tells you that the following authors are purveyors of "pornography" and their works should be restricted in K-12 education:

Margaret Atwood

Judy Blume

Robert Heinlein

Bernard Malamud

Toni Morrison

Jodi Picoult

Philip Roth

Kurt Vonnegut

Richard Wright

... and many more ...

This is also the website that is helping to coordinate organizations across America to have these books removed from library shelves or placed in restricted sections ... and not just in school libraries ...

There are more sites than this which are doing the same, but you have to start somewhere.

This is a nationwide attempt to eliminate not just LGBTQIA+ voices, not just Black voices, to the marginalize and shame some of America's most beloved and important writers ... as PORNOGRAPHERS.

You need to pay VERY CLOSE ATTENTION to this page and its fellow travelers, because they are intent upon dulling the minds of your children.

Book Riot makes a pretty conclusive case that we are losing the war against censorship and book banning

This becomes more and more chilling ... as the censorship karens are being augmented by the book banning vigilantes who are expanding their sights beyond public school and college classrooms into public libraries ...

You will not want to read this all, but you NEED to do so ...

Watch this space: I intend to start providing tools to fight back that go beyond opposing legislation or signing up to speak at a public meeting.

American Censorship -- a case study of comic books

For the last few years of my active teaching career I used this slide show to explore both how censorship works -- and doesn't work. The last time I actually taught this was about a year before Covid struck, which seems today like a long, long time ago.

But as the censorship karens and the serious book banners are coming after literally everything, it seems more important than ever to pass along two major messages ...

First, we have been here before ... and ...

Second, free people may be temporarily bamboozled into supporting them, but there will emerge new heroes to fight them ...

A note: if you'd like to use this presentation yourself, please reach out instead of trying to pirate it here. I will provide you with a slideshow or pdf with appropriate attributions, as well as copyright/fair use notices that you can use.

Also, please visit/support the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, which has been fighting for freedom of expression and against censorship in this venue for a long time.