Florida, Texas book bans show conservatives are leading US down road to ignorance
- Books and ideas are the latest ‘culture war’ casualties, dispatched by a new generation of anti-intellectuals led by the governors of Florida and Texas
- The banning of books touching on race, slavery, racism and LGBTQ issues shows powerful conservatives feel threatened by an accurate recounting of US history
My knowledge of my country’s past came not only through books but also throughout my years in the Chicago public school system and in the state universities I attended.
The report is shocking. According to the non-profit that works to defend the freedom to write, there were 2,532 instances of individual books being banned in libraries and schools, affecting 1,648 unique book titles, between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022.
The titles are by 1,261 different authors, 290 illustrators and 18 translators, affecting the literary, scholarly and creative work of 1,553 people. Bans occurred in 138 school districts in 32 states. These districts represent 5,049 schools with a combined enrolment of nearly 4 million students.
The Legal Defence Fund defines it as “an academic and legal framework that denotes that systemic racism is part of American society – from education and housing to employment and healthcare. Critical race theory recognises that racism is more than the result of individual bias and prejudice…
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I think of CRT as owning our past and present, using it as a framework to build a more equitable nation that gives everyone a fair chance at the American dream. Who could be threatened by that goal? As it turns out, plenty of white people in powerful government positions.
He held a press conference on January 31 to announce he was forbidding state universities from presenting programmes not only on CRT but also those that feature equity, diversity and inclusion. He claimed this would raise “the standards of learning and civil discourse of public higher education in Florida”.
Search for Nazi book banning images on Google and you will get about 24 million results. Do the same for US book banning images and you get about 630 million results.
Democracy can only survive with an educated populace that understands freedoms are paper-thin and can be taken away – slowly at first, then all of a sudden. History books are filled with examples. All one has to do is read about them, while you still can.
Stephen J. Lyons is the author of five books of essays and journalism, including “Going Driftless” and “West of East”