Many of the people working to ban books are organized and 鈥� leading to a new wave of censorship that the American Library Association has called .
The of the books being targeted are by and about LGBTQ people and people of color and Florida schools are at the center of the fight. Now readers in the state are asking how they can push back to keep books on shelves.
One of the first things you see stepping into the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center in Fort Lauderdale is a 鈥渂ook sanctuary鈥� 鈥� a collection of books that have been challenged across the country.
Titles like George Orwell鈥檚 dystopian classic are displayed alongside , a kid鈥檚 that鈥檚 been from Broward public schools.
On a recent evening, there was another stack of controversial books up for grabs too. The library was giving out free copies of A Kid's Book About White Privilege by Ben Sand and A Kid's Book About Systemic Racism by Jordan Thierry.
Maxine Dalen picked up a few copies of each during a visit to the AARLCC with her daughter and niece. She's on a fundraising board for this library.
鈥淎s a mom, as 鈥� someone who's a leader in the community, I'm going to try to do my best,鈥� Dalen said. 鈥淚 feel like if everyone does a little something, then we can stop the madness.鈥�
The slim volumes, rated for ages six and up, are part of a series of that have been . Denise Yoezle got a whole armful of them.
鈥淲hat do I have here 鈥� five?鈥� Yoezle said with a laugh. 鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping for that many grandchildren, believe me.鈥�
Right now, Yoezle says she and her wife have just one grandson. 鈥淎nd I want him to get the full spectrum of this country and what this country is about,鈥� she said.
READ MORE: Broward commissioner voices support for library's banned book 鈥榮anctuary鈥�
Library director pledges to 鈥榗hampion the First Amendment鈥�
The book giveaway 鈥� and a panel discussion entitled 鈥淔reedom to Read鈥� 鈥� were being hosted by Allison Grubbs, who oversees Broward County鈥檚 .
鈥淭hat's my role as the libraries director, to constantly advocate for freedom to read,鈥� Grubbs said. 鈥淚t's my role to champion the First Amendment.鈥�
Grubbs caught some flack recently for putting out limited edition library cards emblazoned with the words 鈥淚 Read Banned Books鈥�.
The county鈥檚 , Rep. Chip LaMarca, pushed back on social media, arguing the library system shouldn't get political.
鈥淭his is something they don't teach you really or talk about in library school is that you're going to be a constitutional warrior,鈥� Grubbs said. 鈥淎nd that's a big concept. And it can be scary at times. But it's the right thing to do.鈥�
Librarians are 鈥榦ut-organized鈥� in fight to keep books on the shelves
In the library鈥檚 auditorium, about 50 people settled into their seats for the panel discussion.
The panelists on stage were surrounded by two foot-high posters of the cover art for books like Toni Morrison鈥檚 The Bluest Eye and Maia Kobabe鈥檚 Gender Queer 鈥� some of the most banned books in the country, according to a by the American Library Association.
Shane Roopnarine says librarians have been overwhelmed by this wave of censorship. He鈥檚 the immediate past president of the .
鈥淚t's everywhere. And we just don鈥檛 have 鈥� the resources to address these challenges,鈥� he acknowledged. 鈥淲e are kind of being out-organized.鈥�
鈥淲e must use political power to support intellectual freedom. It鈥檚 not just something that is given to us. We must work for it.鈥�Emily Knox, professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Days before this event, news broke that a school in neighboring Miami-Dade County had restricted elementary students鈥� access to a recited at President Joe Biden鈥檚 inauguration. A parent had claimed Amanda Gorman鈥檚 The Hill We Climb was 鈥榠ndoctrination鈥�.
鈥淪omeone was upset 鈥� not surprisingly 鈥� about the part of the poem that鈥檚 about justice,鈥� said panelist Emily Knox.
Knox is a professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the author of .
The complaint filed against Gorman鈥檚 poem claimed it contains 鈥榠ndirect hate messages鈥�, citing pages 12 - 13, which read:
We've braved the belly of the beast.
We've learned that quiet isn't always peace,
And the norms and notions of what "just is"
Isn't always justice.
And yet the dawn is ours before we knew it.
Somehow, we do it.
Somehow, we've weathered and witnessed
A nation that isn't broken, but simply
unfinished.
鈥淛ustice is something of a trigger word,鈥� Knox said. 鈥�, justice, injustice, 鈥� these are all words that really are about 鈥� decentering white heterosexual male Christian people from being all that we talk about all the time.鈥�
Fight for intellectual freedom dates back to slavery
Tameka Bradley Hobbs is the director of the AARLCC and is a historian by training. She says the fight for intellectual freedom in this country dates back to slavery.
鈥淭here were on the books 鈥� even here in Florida, when it was founded in , that legally prevented Black people from learning to ,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd that was because there was an understanding that literacy and citizenship did go together.鈥�
Grubbs鈥� last question for the panelists 鈥� which was echoed by some audience members 鈥� is what readers can do to protect public libraries.
鈥淗ow do we stand up and fight censorship?鈥� Grubbs asked.
The panel鈥檚 advice? Get involved at the local library. And lobby elected officials.
鈥淲e must use political power to support intellectual freedom. It鈥檚 not just something that is given to us,鈥� Knox said. 鈥淲e must work for it.鈥�
