Banned Books Week: Stories of Censorship
Students in the bridge experience course LI 202, Free to All: Public Libraries in U.S. Society, researched cases of censorships in public libraries over the last two centuries. Using primary sources they wrote short reports about these cases and designed corresponding posters for Banned Books Week. Browse this guide to learn about the variety of cases in libraries.
Course Instructor: Johanna MacKay
Poster and Report by Ava D'Eon '24
2021 marked the beginning of a plague of censorship of books in the country’s public libraries. Since then, several states have severed ties with the American Library Association (ALA) as the American public views the organization as the root problem of unsatisfactory books on library shelves, specifically in children’s and young adult’s sections. The legislative decision for states to separate from the ALA comes from Republican representatives and leaders, who have now been successful in condemning the ALA in five states: Alabama, Missouri, Texas, Wyoming and Florida.
The ALA is America’s, and the world’s, largest and oldest library association, and provides training, tools and funding for 123,000 libraries nationally (Natanson). The once uncontroversial organization is now caught up in a culture war as they fight against book bans and tackle debates about how to teach race, gender, and sex through literary works. The push back against the ALA stems from a few reasons, the most prominent being that parents and legislators view the ALA as a defendant of pornographic literature for children. This argument ties into a broader conservative movement that asserts libraries carry sexually explicit material, an argument that has now placed the ALA as the scapegoat for blame. Anti-ALA stances also heightened after ALA President, Emily Drabinski, posted on social media praising the organization for now being led by a Marxist lesbian like her. Taylor Hawkins, the conservative Christian lobby Frontline Policy Action, states that Drabinski is strategically implementing queer politics into libraries (Smith). The concern about queer and LGBTQ+ conversations in libraries is a larger issue than just Drabinski’s identity, but is a reflection of conservative agendas and anti-queer rhetoric.
A sixth state, Georgia, is now proposing legislation to separate itself from the ALA, the bill already passing the Georgia State Senate in March of this year, and now on its way to the House. Most of the recent book bannings in Georgia have been books that feature people of color or include characters that identify as LGBTQ+ (Rayam and Oppenheimer). Georgia’s GOP lawmakers stated the ALA is trying to insert their social agenda into libraries and parents will be driven away by their “marxist” ideology (Rayam and Oppenheimer). During Georgia’s last legislative session, Governor Brian Kemp signed a bill limiting how teachers can talk about “divisive” topics in K-12 settings (Rayam and Oppenheimer). This includes limiting teaching on race and how racism presents itself. The series of events and laws that have passed in Georgia and the rest of the country show an overarching movement to censor discussions on race, gender, sexuality, etc. in which the ALA and books have become a seemingly accessible way for conservatives to push their own personal agendas.
ALA officials have released statements warning that Georgia’s legislation is based on false accusations and narratives. The ALA also warned that the American public should be aware of the efforts to restrict freedom of speech and trade through these actions. The efforts being made by conservative states to separate themselves from the ALA, meaning they will lose valuable access to funding and resources from the organization, is a clear example of strategic censorship of important topics. It will be important for the American public to keep an eye on which states are severing ties with the ALA, and if there is a broader political intent involved.
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