" . . . social workers and librarians countered that the stories confront trauma and racism in ways that build empathy and awareness ." This is exactly why racists want to eliminate literature by Black writers and whitewash history. I've got news: we have come too far to ever be that ignorant again. Integration was the best thing that ever happened to race relations (another thing they tried to prevent). I taught for 35 years and watched it happen. We still have a long way to go,to end racism, but I think the paradigm has shifted.
if you don't like that book - DON'T BORROW IT! For those of us outside the US, these library book bans in the land of the First Amendment have always seemed extraordinary. And it appears that it happens even in Democrat - majority States? thank you for this worrying round-up.
Children are not born with any bigotry or prejudice this we know. The child learns those prejudicial views from family, and friends, or even the community norms, that create that sense of belonging to an "in-group". Whatever that group in-group is. We all learn from hearing and seeing before we read. The child is exposed to hateful ideologies, at an early age even media, that the parent introduces the child too prior to any education. Does the parent read to the child at bedtime, if so what kind of bedtime stories? Are they the traditional ones, such as Cinderella who is white, blonde haired and a prince comes to save her from the step mother and sisters from her terrible life? Or are those bedtime stories modern and diverse books such as Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña. The story is about a young boy who rides the bus with his grandmother across town and learns to appreciate the beauty and diversity in his everyday world. These types of bedtime stories creates a world that is expansive and imaginative to the child which creates discussions and a different outlook. Not learning about other cultures or viewpoints can breed ignorance, prejudice and bigotry.
Parents who did read those traditional bedtime stories are the ones who will clutch their pearls when the child no matter the age or even if the book may be deemed appropriate wants to span their horizons. Children are sponges and want to absorb so much that’s available. The parents don’t want them too because those parents who hold those bigoted ideology and prejudices will be proven wrong by their child’s expansion of their reading and experiences. If you keep them in that bubble they will remain in that bubble. Have found the majority of the time at school boards and the people who want more and more books banned just don’t want to be proved wrong in their children’s eyes. It’s rather sad to see that as adults who have children can’t accept that their child may be more intuitively smarter than them and can see the fear in the parent’s eyes. Heaven forbid we ever learn from our children. Yet many parents do and at times the child is the better teacher than the parent. Then there’s the concept of control. The parent has lost control over the child. Just an fyi the concept of being in control is a fallacy. Just my two cents on the absurdity of book banning.
Thank you Xavier for this roundup of news. I was not aware of a lot of this, so it was very helpful. The bottom line is that Rump and his followers hate Black people, or any person of color. Furthermore, they hate a woman's intellect. Put those two together and you see the pattern of hate, abuse, and pure racism that is happening. Rump particularly hates Black women. That is clear from his repeated attempts to seek revenge on AG Letitia James. The assault on the First Amendment is both shocking, but predictable. These people are in great fear of any view or person that shatters their eggshell. I could go on but it would be restating the obvious. We have with this administration and their supporters, example of the most hateful and fundamentally fearful people in this country now in control of our government.
" . . . social workers and librarians countered that the stories confront trauma and racism in ways that build empathy and awareness ." This is exactly why racists want to eliminate literature by Black writers and whitewash history. I've got news: we have come too far to ever be that ignorant again. Integration was the best thing that ever happened to race relations (another thing they tried to prevent). I taught for 35 years and watched it happen. We still have a long way to go,to end racism, but I think the paradigm has shifted.
if you don't like that book - DON'T BORROW IT! For those of us outside the US, these library book bans in the land of the First Amendment have always seemed extraordinary. And it appears that it happens even in Democrat - majority States? thank you for this worrying round-up.
Thank you for your article.
Children are not born with any bigotry or prejudice this we know. The child learns those prejudicial views from family, and friends, or even the community norms, that create that sense of belonging to an "in-group". Whatever that group in-group is. We all learn from hearing and seeing before we read. The child is exposed to hateful ideologies, at an early age even media, that the parent introduces the child too prior to any education. Does the parent read to the child at bedtime, if so what kind of bedtime stories? Are they the traditional ones, such as Cinderella who is white, blonde haired and a prince comes to save her from the step mother and sisters from her terrible life? Or are those bedtime stories modern and diverse books such as Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña. The story is about a young boy who rides the bus with his grandmother across town and learns to appreciate the beauty and diversity in his everyday world. These types of bedtime stories creates a world that is expansive and imaginative to the child which creates discussions and a different outlook. Not learning about other cultures or viewpoints can breed ignorance, prejudice and bigotry.
Parents who did read those traditional bedtime stories are the ones who will clutch their pearls when the child no matter the age or even if the book may be deemed appropriate wants to span their horizons. Children are sponges and want to absorb so much that’s available. The parents don’t want them too because those parents who hold those bigoted ideology and prejudices will be proven wrong by their child’s expansion of their reading and experiences. If you keep them in that bubble they will remain in that bubble. Have found the majority of the time at school boards and the people who want more and more books banned just don’t want to be proved wrong in their children’s eyes. It’s rather sad to see that as adults who have children can’t accept that their child may be more intuitively smarter than them and can see the fear in the parent’s eyes. Heaven forbid we ever learn from our children. Yet many parents do and at times the child is the better teacher than the parent. Then there’s the concept of control. The parent has lost control over the child. Just an fyi the concept of being in control is a fallacy. Just my two cents on the absurdity of book banning.
Preface is helpful, Tnx
Thank you Xavier for this roundup of news. I was not aware of a lot of this, so it was very helpful. The bottom line is that Rump and his followers hate Black people, or any person of color. Furthermore, they hate a woman's intellect. Put those two together and you see the pattern of hate, abuse, and pure racism that is happening. Rump particularly hates Black women. That is clear from his repeated attempts to seek revenge on AG Letitia James. The assault on the First Amendment is both shocking, but predictable. These people are in great fear of any view or person that shatters their eggshell. I could go on but it would be restating the obvious. We have with this administration and their supporters, example of the most hateful and fundamentally fearful people in this country now in control of our government.