Dear MoveOn member,
A coordinated right-wing assault on free expression in our public schools has triggered an unprecedented wave of book bans across the country.
"Maus," a beloved, Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel about the Holocaust, was banned by one Tennessee school board.1 The LGBTQ classic "Heather Has Two Mommies" was removed in a Pennsylvania school district.2 Books by Black authors including Toni Morrison and Ta-Nehisi Coates have been banned in Utah and Texas.3
MoveOn has launched a full-scale campaign to stop book bans and defend accurate historical teaching about race in our schools, and as part of that effort, we printed a big batch of "I Read Banned Books" bookmarks and stickers.
The response has been overwhelming. In fact, we're now hearing from librarians, bookstore owners, and teachers all over the country who want to give out our stickers and bookmarks to their students and customers. It's pretty awesome, but we've already run out of stickers and bookmarks, and it will cost thousands—maybe even tens of thousands—of dollars to order enough to meet demand.
There have been at least 3,000 attempts to ban books since the start of the school year, according to the American Library Association.4
But the right-wing campaign to censor education goes far beyond just book bans.
PEN America, a non-profit advocacy group that works to defend freedom of expression, said that at least 156 bills were filed in 39 states in the last year to censor what teachers can say or teach in classrooms, with 10 and counting passing into law.4
These "gag orders" include bills that ban any discussion of sexuality, gender identity, or race. Teachers who violate these bans could face professional discipline, fines, or even lawsuits from parents.
The Florida Legislature is moving forward a "Don't Say Gay" bill endorsed by Governor Ron DeSantis that would ban all discussion of gender and sexuality in schools across the board.5 Kansas is considering legislation that would make it a Class B misdemeanor for a teacher to use material that even mentions homosexuality.6
The wave of book bans and education censorship is being driven by deep-pocketed right-wing organizations.7 Groups with wholesome-sounding names like Moms for Liberty and Parents Defending Education present themselves as organic, grassroots parents groups but in fact are linked to Republican mega-donors like Charles Koch and Leonard Leo.8
This fight isn't going away, and the stakes are literally our children's minds.
But we can be part of the push to make the bans backfire. Ideas and art cannot be banned out of existence—whenever political hacks try to erase histories by which they feel threatened, they make those ideas stronger. Maybe that's why "Maus" rocketed to the bestseller list after it was banned.9 And the bans are extremely unpopular with voters: 87% of Americans oppose banning books about slavery, as much as people who would rather ignore away Black history wish otherwise.10 Let's make the bans backfire by sending out thousands of bookmarks promoting banned books where they're needed most.
MoveOn is working with local parents and communities all over the country to help fight back. Our "I Read Banned Books" stickers and bookmarks are helping spread the word and connect parents, and we're thrilled by how many librarians and bookstores want to help distribute them. But to order enough stickers and bookmarks, we need MoveOn members to chip in. Will you donate $3?
Thanks for all you do.
–David, Jayne, Kenia, Sana, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Why a school board's ban on 'Maus' may put the book in the hands of more readers," NPR, January 31, 2022
https://act.moveon.org/go/160962?t=6&akid=317676%2E53570607%2EBgzjwQ
2. "Parents say Pennridge sent anti-LGBTQ message by restricting children's book," Courier Times, December 29, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/160963?t=8&akid=317676%2E53570607%2EBgzjwQ
3. "Rich Donors Support Conservative Groups in Campaign to Ban Books Addressing Race," The Root, January 25, 2022
https://act.moveon.org/go/160964?t=10&akid=317676%2E53570607%2EBgzjwQ
4. "The American Library Association opposes widespread efforts to censor books in U.S. schools and libraries," American Library Association, November 29, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/161013?t=12&akid=317676%2E53570607%2EBgzjwQ
5. "Educational Gag Orders Target Speech About LGBTQ+ Identities With New Prohibitions and Punishments," PEN America, February 15, 2022
https://act.moveon.org/go/160965?t=14&akid=317676%2E53570607%2EBgzjwQ
6. "Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' bill advances in the House," NBC News, February 23, 2022
https://act.moveon.org/go/160966?t=16&akid=317676%2E53570607%2EBgzjwQ
7. "Books bans and 'gag orders': the US schools crackdown no one asked for," The Guardian, February 21, 2022
https://act.moveon.org/go/160967?t=18&akid=317676%2E53570607%2EBgzjwQ
8. "US conservatives linked to rich donors wage campaign to ban books from schools," The Guardian, January 24, 2022
https://act.moveon.org/go/160968?t=20&akid=317676%2E53570607%2EBgzjwQ
9. Ibid.
10. "'Maus' Tops Amazon Bestseller List After Tennessee School Board Pulls Graphic Novel," The Wall Street Journal, January 31, 2022
https://act.moveon.org/go/160969?t=22&akid=317676%2E53570607%2EBgzjwQ
11. "Big majorities reject book bans - CBS News poll," CBS News, February 22, 2022
https://act.moveon.org/go/160970?t=24&akid=317676%2E53570607%2EBgzjwQ
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