Right Wingers Have Banned 1,477 School Books

A study by First Amendment and literature advocacy group PEN America indicates that so far in the 2022 - 2023 school year, far- right Republicans have banned 1,477 books whose themes center on race, sexual orientation, gender and history. According to a summary:

"PEN America recorded more book bans during the fall 2022 semester than in each of the prior two semesters. This school year also saw the effects of new state laws that censor ideas and materials in public schools, an extension of the book banning movement initiated in 2021 by local citizens and advocacy groups. Broad efforts to label certain books 'harmful' and 'explicit' are expanding the type of content suppressed in schools.

Again, and again, the movement to ban books is driven by a vocal minority demanding censorship. At the same time, a 2022 poll found that over 70% of parents oppose book banning. Yet the bans continue. Many public school districts find themselves in a bind. They face threats and political pressure, along with parental fears and anxieties surrounding the books on their school shelves. School Boards, administrators, teachers, and librarians are told in some cases to 'err on the side of caution' in the books they make available. Too often, they do just that. 

These efforts to chill speech are part of the ongoing nationwide 'Ed Scare' — a campaign to foment anxiety and anger with the goal of suppressing free expression in public education." (our emphasis) 

Some of PEN's key findings include:

• "This school year, instances of book bans are most prevalent in Texas, Florida, Missouri, Utah, and South Carolina. These bans are driven by a confluence of local actors and state-level policy. The implications of bans in these five states are far-reaching, as policies and practices are modeled and replicated across the country.
• Overwhelmingly, book banners continue to target stories by and about people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals. In this six-month period, 30% of the unique titles banned are books about race, racism, or feature characters of color. Meanwhile, 26% of unique titles banned have LGBTQ+ characters or themes."  (our emphasis)

The Christofascist Republican / Forced Birth / Shooters party agenda is to reverse the last 70 years of education and replace it with right-wing dogma and books that whitewash history. They have to be stopped.

(photo: School library in Florida. Brian Covey / Twitter)