To: Dr. Miguel Cardona, Secretary of Education
Oppose book bans & censorship in public schools
Far-right MAGA Republican Governors and state legislatures across the nation have been using political tricks to erode accurate and age-appropriate education, attack LGBTQ+ communities, and ban books. For many of us on-the-ground, this is like the worst, toxic game of whack-a-mole in existence.
Recently, the Florida State Board of Education just passed standards that will harmfully and ridiculously require middle school students to learn that “Black people benefited from slavery,” despite important opposition from countless families and community leaders in the room and across the state. The awful standard requires a curriculum that includes that: “slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.” Let us be clear here: This is ludicrous, hateful, racist, and has no place in our schools.
We need backup! Thank you for leading the charge in protecting public education in the United States. Tell the U.S. Department of Education to investigate book bans and censorship in public schools. It's time to step in and protect the freedom to learn.
Why is this important?
Book are being banned and challenged in schools across the nation. What books are being pulled? Plain and simple, age-appropriate books about diverse communities, history, and LGBTQ+ families and communities. Books like Black Boy Joy, When Aiden Became a Brother, and the Diary of Anne Frank. Yes. You read those titles right.
In fact, according to PEN America, between July and December 2022, instances of individual book bans occurred in 66 school districts in 21 states with Texas, Florida, Missouri, Utah, and South Carolina experiencing the most bans.
These coordinated attacks are NOT okay. Well-funded far-right politicians are becoming a censorship machine actively working to ban age-appropriate books, erase honest and accurate American history, and attack students and teachers simply for who they love.