Book bans have been on the rise since early 2021, with important will increase in recorded cases annually since. Freedom to learn advocates, library employees, educators, publishers, and celebrities have lent their voices, time, and power into not solely elevating consciousness about the issue but additionally into ending it.
On a latest episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, beloved guide lover LeVar Burton shared a video to assist in spreading the phrase. Taking after the opening sequence to Reading Rainbow, the video highlights books which were challenged all through latest American historical past.
While not all the titles included within the sequence are these beneath fireplace now–the books being focused are primarily by and about folks of colour and queer folks–the attain of this video is essential, as is the visible ingredient showcasing how guide bans instantly and instantly impression younger folks. Moreover, the video emphasizes the absurdity of guide bans basically. This is seen in highlighting the latest problem to a title in Alabama as a result of the creator’s final identify is Gay.
Burton has been an advocate for the liberty to learn for generations. In latest years, he served because the honorary chair of the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week and joined a coalition of different celebrities to signal a letter demanding an finish to censorship in colleges and libraries. Burton additionally was an government producer on the documentary “The Right to Read.”
In a partnership with TransferOn.org, Burton has a line of shirts accessible for anti-censorship advocates. You can seize a “LeVar Burton Says Read Banned Books” t-shirt right here.
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