Suddenly, the left who invented cancel culture, censorship, and banning anything they disagree with is upset over something being banned. The NJEA today lashed out over the banning of controversial, oftentimes limit-pushing books in public school libraries.
Most sane Americans agree that banning books is something we shouldn’t be doing, but making age-appropriate books available to young readers is also a critical component of the public education system.
In fact last year, it was the National Education Association that completely rebranded Read Across America to be more focused on racial and sexual identity politics after banning several books by Dr. Seuss.
“A new focus on books that tell children of color or of different gender identities that they belong in the world and the world belongs to them,” the NEA said after banning the Dr. Seuss themed event in 2021.
“Of course, children still love Dr. Seuss, and his birthday on March 2, also Read Across America Day is still an ideal time for a school-wide reading event when you can serve green eggs and ham, but with the broadened scope of NEA’s Read Across America, there are activities, resources, and ideas to keep students reading all year long,” the NEA said in its rebranding.
This week, the NJEA is opposing the banning of books.
NJEA’s officers, President Sean M. Spiller, Vice President Steve Beatty and Secretary-Treasurer Petal Robertson, released a statement opposing attempts across New Jersey and the United States to ban books from school libraries and classrooms. Their statement also supports the right of students and families to have access to information and perspectives needed for a thorough and well-rounded education.
“We are deeply concerned by the growing number of efforts to ban a wide range of books from school libraries and classrooms. Such efforts are nothing less than a direct attack on our foundational values as a democracy including freedom of speech, the importance of honest public discourse, and the inherent value and equality of all people, regardless of race, religion, gender identity or sexual orientation,” the NJEA said. “Our students deserve public schools that are bastions of truth, where they can be exposed to the diversity of people and experiences that make up our multicultural society. They deserve schools where they can learn the full account of both our history and our present so that they can be full participants in building a better, more just future.“Banning books from school libraries is a form of lying to our children by preventing them from learning about the reality of certain experiences and events. Blocking them from experiencing the truth of history and human experience impedes their education, limits their understanding and teaches them to think of the truth as something to fear rather than something to embrace and grapple with.”
The NJEA is pushing for books on LBGTQ topics, gender identity and racial identity to be protected from school boards who may want to band those books.
“We are encouraged that some New Jersey school boards are standing up for children by resisting calls to ban books. The North Hunterdon Voorhees Board of Education recently rejected a bid to ban Juno Dawson’s This Book is Gay and to affirmatively state that certain other frequently challenged books would remain accessible to NHV students. That is an important win for those students and for that community. No board member, parent or community member should be able to censor what someone else’s child is allowed to read,” the NJEA said. “But for every story of a board of education standing up for students, the First Amendment and intellectual freedom, there are far too many stories of boards that are bullied into book banning or even doing so eagerly.”
According to the American Library Association, here are the most challenged books in American in 2020.
The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 156 challenges to library, school, and university materials and services in 2020. Of the 273 books that were targeted, here are the most challenged, along with the reasons cited for censoring the books:
- George by Alex Gino
Reasons: Challenged, banned, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content, conflicting with a religious viewpoint, and not reflecting “the values of our community” - Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds
Reasons: Banned and challenged because of author’s public statements, and because of claims that the book contains “selective storytelling incidents” and does not encompass racism against all people - All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, drug use, and alcoholism, and because it was thought to promote anti-police views, contain divisive topics, and be “too much of a sensitive matter right now” - Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted because it was thought to contain a political viewpoint and it was claimed to be biased against male students, and for the novel’s inclusion of rape and profanity - The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references, and allegations of sexual misconduct by the author - Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story About Racial Injustice by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard, illustrated by Jennifer Zivoin
Reasons: Challenged for “divisive language” and because it was thought to promote anti-police views - To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Reasons: Banned and challenged for racial slurs and their negative effect on students, featuring a “white savior” character, and its perception of the Black experience - Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Reasons: Banned and challenged for racial slurs and racist stereotypes, and their negative effect on students - The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Reasons: Banned and challenged because it was considered sexually explicit and depicts child sexual abuse - The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Reasons: Challenged for profanity, and it was thought to promote an anti-police message