Celebrating Banned and Challenged Books

“What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but the history of the world, void of national bias, race, hate, and religious prejudice.”

~Carter G. Woodson

Recently I received an invitation to participate in a “Banned Book Celebration.” My initial response was, Why would we celebrate such censorship? I had missed the point that this “celebration” will be a form of advocacy, pushing back against attempts to deny access to various types of literature.

Book bans and attempted book bans continue to hit record highs, according to the American Library Association (ALA). Banning books is not a new phenomenon. However, since 2021, debates against the academic framework of critical race theory opened the door for a series of book bans. While banning books does not make them illegal, it does make them harder to find at your local bookstore or school library.

Between January 1 and August 31, 2023, ALA reported the highest number of book bans and challenges since it began collecting such data. The vast majority were written by or about members of the LGBTQIA+ community or by and about Black people, Indigenous people, and people of color. To learn more, visit Banned & Challenged Books on the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) website.

On Saturday, December 2, 2023, the Prince George’s County Truth Branch of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) hosted a banned book celebration and discussion entitled “The Mis-education Remix” in honor of the life and legacy of Dr. Carter G. Woodson. Woodson is the founder of ASALH and the author of “The Miseducation of the Negro,” which was published in 1933 and remains on the list of banned books.

I accepted the honor to participate in this celebration as the moderator for what was an informative, inspirational and motivational experience. I paid tribute to the work of Alice Walker, author of the banned book, “The Color Purple.” My reasons are personal. Her book led to a play, a movie, and now a new musical will be released December 25, 2023. When I first read the book, the story was so emotionally heavy, I could not say I enjoyed reading it. However, over the years, I came to celebrate the courage of Alice Walker as an author and the commitment and vulnerability of Oprah Winfrey as she shared her traumatic story in the course of supporting the work. Oprah’s life story reflects resilience. These women let the world get a glimpse of a wide range of painful experiences and of ways to overcome their traumas.

“I am an expression of the divine, just like a peach is, just like a fish is. I have a right to be this way … I can't apologize for that, nor can I change it, nor do I want to ... We will never have to be other than who we are in order to be successful … We realize that we are as ourselves unlimited and our experiences valid. It is for the rest of the world to recognize this, if they choose.”

~Alice Walker

Ending Racism USA opposes attempts to censor books acknowledging the impact of race in the story of our nation. We support the efforts of ALA to protect the freedom to read books written by or about members of the LGBTQIA+ community or by and about Black people, Indigenous people, and people of color. Reading is one of the ways we increase our knowledge and understanding. Books are important for the heart and soul.

Accept the challenge to celebrate banned books and share the lessons you learn with others. When we know better, we can do better.