As the US prepares to enter one other yr of relentless censorship assaults perpetrated towards younger individuals and their entry to books in public colleges and libraries, a brand new invoice to assist counteract the prices of e-book bans has been launched into Congress. Developed by Representative Maxwell Frost, a Florida Democrat, the Fight Book Bans Act shouldn’t be angled towards ending e-book bans instantly. Instead, the invoice would assist fund the fee faculty districts incur whereas shifting by the method of reviewing books which have been challenged. The laws would enable as much as $100,000 per district to undergo the problem course of by way of the Department of Education.
The invoice would acceptable $15 million over the subsequent 5 years.
Book challenges are costly, costing districts anyplace from a whole lot to tens of hundreds of {dollars}, relying on the variety of books being challenged. In Berkeley County, South Carolina, the district spent over $6,000 in merely buying half of the 93 books challenged by one lady, who’s a Moms For Liberty member and spouse of failed Berkeley County Council candidate. Prior Lake-Savage School District in Minnesota estimates every e-book problem prices the district $3,000, whereas Spring Branch Independent School District in Texas put a $30,000 price ticket on a single e-book problem–that’s supplies value and workers time.
Several different representatives backed Frost’s invoice, together with Pete Aguilar (D-California), Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland), Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Florida), Greg Casar (D-Florida), and Shontel Brown (D-Ohio). Additional cosponsors embody by Reps. Adams (NC-12), Bera (CA-06), Blumenauer (OR-03), Bowman (NY-16), Carson (IN-07), Casten (IL-06), Castor (FL-14), Castro (TX-20), Clarke (NY-09), Frankel (FL-22), Garcia (CA-42), Goldman (NY-10), Horsford (NV-04), Ivey (MD-04), Jackson Lee (TX-18), Jacobs (CA-51), Johnson (GA-04), Khanna (CA-17), Lee (CA-12), Lee (PA-12), Moskowitz (FL-23), Norton (DC), Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Payne, Jr. (NJ-10), Peters (CA-50), Pettersen (CO-7), Pocan (WI-02), Porter (CA-47), Pressley (MA-07), Ramirez (IL-03), Schakowsky (IL-9), Sewell (AL-07), Soto (FL-9), Stansbury (NM-01), Takano (CA-39), Thanedar (MI-13), Titus (NV-01), Tlaib (MI-12), Tokuda (HI-02), Velázquez (NY-07), Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Williams (GA-05).
“Book bans in Florida and in states across the nation are a direct attack on our freedoms and liberties everywhere. As my home state shamefully leads the country in book bans, we cannot let this censorship and dismantling of our education system go unchecked,” mentioned Frost in a press launch. “What we are seeing in Florida and states like Texas, Utah, and Missouri are loud and clear attempts by far-right conservative leaders to silence and erase our Black, brown, Hispanic, and LGBTQ+ communities. The Fight Book Bans Act takes a stand against censorship to firmly stand on the side of history, education, our students, teachers, and schools who don’t deserve to suffer the consequences of radical politics in the classroom. This is about protecting our libraries and protecting truth and history.”
The invoice is backed by a number of anti-censorship and anti-discrimination teams, together with PEN America, ACLU National, American Library Association, Interfaith Alliance, The Trevor Project, Catholics for Choice, Color of Change, National Urban League, UnidosUS, Equality Florida, Florida Freedom to Read Project, Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT), and NAACP DC.
“America is in the middle of an escalating book ban crisis that requires our full attention and a strong response,” mentioned Congressman Jamie Raskin. “Sinister campaigns to remove books from our schools and libraries are a hallmark of authoritarian and fascist regimes. Many books are being targeted for censorship these days simply because they address the historical realities of racism and white supremacy or address LGBTQ+ issues. I’m proud to join Rep. Frost to introduce this critical legislation, which will provide much-needed resources to the freedom-loving teachers, school librarians and school administrators working to keep books on our shelves.”
Since 2022, federal panels have addressed e-book bans, together with a Committee on Education and the Workforce’s Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Hearing in October of this yr that included panelists representing a majority of pro-book banning members; a September 2023 U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary listening to that included a efficiency by Senator John Kennedy giving a dramatic studying of Gender Queer; and a Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties assembly in spring 2022 chaired by Jamie Raskin.
Though allowing districts to entry cash doesn’t finish e-book bans itself–and certainly, may additional calls from the far-right to defund the Department of Eduction (recall their final aim right here is to dismantle public training)–by giving districts entry to important funds, they stand a combating probability to curtail e-book bans in their owwn communities.
“As a former teacher and principal, I can only imagine the struggle current school teachers and librarians must be facing when trying to educate our children in light of attempts by our state to shove right-wing propaganda down our children’s throats,” mentioned Congresswoman Frederica Wilson. “If true freedom is to prevail in Florida and beyond, we must eradicate the censorship imposed by book bans. This fight transcends politics; it’s about the future of our nation and whether we stand with censorship or champion freedom. I for one, will always champion freedom.”
If your consultant is on amongst these coauthors of the invoice, now’s the time to jot down in assist of the Fight Book Bans Act. The identical is true in case your consultant is not among the many coauthors. Spend 10 minutes this week and be in contact along with your congress individual in assist of the invoice, then spend 10 minutes preemptively reaching out to your Senators, too, encouraging their future assist of the invoice.
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