On February 12 I received my first Red Wine & Blue newsletter. It features their “Book Ban Busters” campaign, which is 10,000 women strong and was reviewed by the Washington Post twice. I love it that they mention Heather Cox Richardson.
Recently a Postcards reader recommended Red Wine & Blue’s podcast, The Suburban Woman Problem. In its “Books Over Boogeyman” episode, Lesléa Newman lists six ways to take action against the banning of book titles:
Request books from your library so they circulate
Donate books to your library, or request they purchase them
Put up a Little Free Library
Write letters to your Representative and other officials
Go to school board meetings; run for School Board (yes!)
Write letters to your newspaper
Red Wine & Blue is all about taking local action, so I’d like to mention what happened in Waynesville NC last month, not far from where I live. As a citizen against censorship, I have to ask myself, “What would I do if this happened here?”
Last month a parent demanded that Dear Martin be pulled from the 10th grade curriculum at Tuscola High, “ostensibly because it contains explicit language’ and some sexual references”. Haywood County School District superintendent Bill Nolte decided to remove the book without consulting other staff and without reading it.
What’s going on?
Michael Boatright, a professor of education at Western Carolina University, said in a Smokey Mountain News interview that Dear Martin may have been targeted for depicting the reality of racism in modern-day America.
“Adolescent literature, like Nic Stone’s Dear Martin, is a frequent punching bag for school administrators and school boards. … Commonly taught novels [such as To Kill a Mockingbird and The Great Gatsby] are regarded as safe because they are decades if not centuries old,” Boatright said. “They do not reflect life in America in 2022.”
What would I do if this happened here?
I would write a Letter to the Editor of our local newspaper. “Censorship is not welcome in our schools in this county and here’s why.” Then I would call five friends and we’d all sign it, and email it to the paper.
I can already feel the power in six signatures and not just one. This letter will be noticed.
Thanks Deda. We are on this issue in Polk Co. also.
Thanks for the post Deda. Some great ideas on how to keep the books CIRCULATING!
Thanks Stacey for fighting for masks and books. You go girls!