censorship
Hands off our national myth, er, story – the dynamic driving anti-wokeness
Legitimacy and the fear of losing it. That’s at the root of efforts to whitewash teaching that would otherwise tell stark, uncomfortable truths about U.S. history and the impacts that linger today. I’m referring here to the legitimacy of American exceptionalism. There are many who demand homogeneity even on what we agree is our national […]
Scholastic needs to take a stand against book censorship
If you could combine Pretzel Day from “The Office” and Treat Yo’ Self Day from “Parks and Recreation” for elementary school-aged Leann, it would have been the Scholastic Book Fair. You’re telling me there’s going to be a pop-up book fair with not only books, but posters, pencils, erasers and bookmarks in my school? And […]
NC legislators about to put an exclamation mark on one of the worst sessions in state history
The 2023 session of the North Carolina General Assembly could be rightfully categorized as one of the worst in modern state history based merely upon what lawmakers failed (or chose not) to accomplish. Topping any list of such failures would be the destructive and blatantly lawless decision to ignore the state constitution and a state […]
First Amendment advocates fight growing number of U.S. book bans
WASHINGTON — One of Thomasina Brown’s favorite books is a memoir about a girl who deals with the grief of losing her father and struggles with her sexual identity. Brown, a 16-year-old student at Nixa High School in Nixa, Missouri, said in an interview that she felt a connection with the book, as she grieved […]
Bestselling children’s author Jerry Craft laments book bans ahead of Raleigh visit
Ignoring the advice of literary friends, bestselling children’s author Jerry Craft reads every email, every book review and every social media post about his work. Craft dutifully responds to each. After thousands of such interactions, the award-winning author — he won the prestigious Newberry Medal in 2020 — of the popular graphic novel “New Kid” […]
Weekend humor from Celia Rivenbark: Loony DeSantis policies bench the bard
Oh, what fools these mortals be! And by “fools” I mean Ron DeSantis & Co. whose overcaffeinated-meth-addict-on-bath-salts-while-guzzling-a-handle-of-Fireball approach to education in Florida has resulted in a No Shakespeare policy. Because sometimes, the bard gets bawdy. Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day, Ron DeSantis? Prithy, no. May I instead compare you to a horse’s […]
Study shows proliferation of ‘educational intimidation’ legislation since 2021
Parental rights legislation like that passed by North Carolina’s Republican-led General Assembly is intended to intimidate educators and censor curricula in public schools, says a New York-based free speech advocacy group made up of writers. “Poets, Playwrights, Editors and Novelists” (PEN) recently released a report entitled, “Educational Intimidation: How ‘Parental Rights’ Legislation Undermines the Freedom […]
Black charter schoolteacher allegedly fired for using ‘Dear Martin’ novel in classroom
A Black charter schoolteacher in Charlotte has filed a lawsuit against his former employer claiming that he was fired after white parents complained about him teaching the novel “Dear Martin” to middle school students. Markayle Gray, an English teacher, was fired by Charlotte Secondary School in February. More than 80% of the 6-12 school’s 175 […]
School districts struggle to implement new laws on sexually explicit books
RICHMOND, Va. — Although a new Virginia law requires schools to inform parents when sexually explicit materials are used in the classroom, some districts are using that law as the basis to go further and remove certain books from schools altogether. Book ban requests across the state often have cited the Virginia law, which was signed last year by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. […]