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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsBook bans have reached levels not seen in decades
Book bans have reached levels not seen in decades but nationwide activism to oppose them is growing, too
NEW YORK (AP) Until a year ago, Stephana Ferrells political activism was limited to the occasional letter to elected officials.
Then came her local school board meeting in Orange County, Florida and an objection raised to Maia Kobabes graphic novel Gender Queer: A Memoir. And the countys decision last fall to remove it from high school shelves.
By winter break, we realized this was happening all over the state and needed to start a project to rally parents to protect access to information and ideas in school, says Ferrell, a mother of two. Along with fellow Orange County parent Jen Cousins, she founded the Florida Freedom to Read Project, which works with existing parent groups statewide on a range of educational issues, including efforts to keep or get back books that have gone under challenge or have been banned.
Over the past year, book challenges and bans have reached levels not seen in decades, according to officials at the American Library Association, the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) and other advocates for free expression. Censorship efforts have ranged from local communities such as Orange County and a Tennessee school boards pulling Art Spiegelmans graphic novel Maus, to statewide initiatives.
Then came her local school board meeting in Orange County, Florida and an objection raised to Maia Kobabes graphic novel Gender Queer: A Memoir. And the countys decision last fall to remove it from high school shelves.
By winter break, we realized this was happening all over the state and needed to start a project to rally parents to protect access to information and ideas in school, says Ferrell, a mother of two. Along with fellow Orange County parent Jen Cousins, she founded the Florida Freedom to Read Project, which works with existing parent groups statewide on a range of educational issues, including efforts to keep or get back books that have gone under challenge or have been banned.
Over the past year, book challenges and bans have reached levels not seen in decades, according to officials at the American Library Association, the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) and other advocates for free expression. Censorship efforts have ranged from local communities such as Orange County and a Tennessee school boards pulling Art Spiegelmans graphic novel Maus, to statewide initiatives.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/book-bans-have-reached-levels-not-seen-in-decades-but-nationwide-activism-to-oppose-them-is-growing-too
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Book bans have reached levels not seen in decades (Original Post)
ShazzieB
Mar 2022
OP
Response to ShazzieB (Original post)
Chin music This message was self-deleted by its author.
moondust
(19,979 posts)2. McCarthyism
~
McCarthy first examined allegations of communist influence in the Voice of America, and then turned to the overseas library program of the State Department. Card catalogs of these libraries were searched for works by authors McCarthy deemed inappropriate. McCarthy then recited the list of supposedly pro-communist authors before his subcommittee and the press. Yielding to the pressure, the State Department ordered its overseas librarians to remove from their shelves "material by any controversial persons, Communists, fellow travelers, etc." Some libraries actually burned the newly forbidden books.
~
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCarthyism
McCarthy first examined allegations of communist influence in the Voice of America, and then turned to the overseas library program of the State Department. Card catalogs of these libraries were searched for works by authors McCarthy deemed inappropriate. McCarthy then recited the list of supposedly pro-communist authors before his subcommittee and the press. Yielding to the pressure, the State Department ordered its overseas librarians to remove from their shelves "material by any controversial persons, Communists, fellow travelers, etc." Some libraries actually burned the newly forbidden books.
~
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCarthyism
Skittles
(153,160 posts)3. not as easily accomplished in the age of the internets
FUCK those repuke nazi pieces of shit - it fucking AMAZES me what offends those assholes and what does NOT
teach1st
(5,935 posts)4. We are being beat down
We are being beat down by a small but noisy group of puritans.
LastDemocratInSC
(3,647 posts)8. Correct.
Kittycatkat
(1,356 posts)5. The NYT should start a Top 10 Banned book section.
The books would be read by the masses. With the exception of repugs if course, they don't care for that book-learnin'.
BootinUp
(47,143 posts)6. anti-intellectual is the new fad apparently. nt
Haggis 4 Breakfast
(1,454 posts)7. I have had it with these christofascists.
We are being over-run by a totally out-of-control minority of loud mouth extremists.
LastDemocratInSC
(3,647 posts)9. Correct.
NoMoreRepugs
(9,417 posts)10. Since when do the needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many??
LetMyPeopleVote
(145,176 posts)11. I will be buying as many banned books as possible
Demovictory9
(32,453 posts)12. Ive already started buying and reading banned books