Simple Ways for Students to Combat Censorship After Banned Books Week

By Lakshmi Sunder

Banned Books Week has been practiced since 1982. Since then, the number of books that have been censored has only burgeoned, increasing dramatically in recent years. In the first eight months of 2022, there have been 681 attempts to censor 1651 different books, more books than were censored in 2021. These books include cornerstones of American literature and history—novels like The Color Purple, The Bluest Eye, and The Diary of Anne Frank—along with more surprising texts like Harry Potter and The Lorax.
 
Now more than ever, it is imperative that we advocate against the censorship of books that appeal to more diverse audiences. The majority of texts that have been banned are those by authors of color and queer authors. School curricula is already lacking in its diversity, even though school is a key space to unlearn systems like white supremacy and heteronormativity, from kindergarten picture books to AP® Literature classical epics. 

We cannot diversify our curricula if censoring “controversial” books (books that push against our preconceived notions) become the norm. We cannot diversify our curricula if authors and the groups they represent are being robbed of the chance to amplify their voices and become current cornerstones of literature. 

While our ultimate goal should be to systemically undo censorship, there are also practices we can exercise as individuals: 

1. Start a “Banned Books” Book  Club. Get together with some peers and support marginalized authors who have recently had their books banned. Excellent examples include Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer (the most challenged book two years in a row), Jonathan Evinson’s Lawn Boy, and George M. Johnson’s All Boys Aren’t Blue. Meet at a consistent time (perhaps once a month) to read and discuss your thoughts on these censored texts. 

2. Join Youth-led Organizations. Organizations like Diversify Our Narrative can be an excellent outlet to advocate for anti-racist curricula and schools and push against censorship. You can start a regional chapter or join one that has already been established. 

3. Petition Your District Superintendents to Reconsider the Censorship of a Book. Start a social media account that promotes a petition to advocate against the banning of a specific book in your district or school. Get as many students and faculty as possible to sign the petition. Once you have a sufficient amount of signatures, reach out to your district superintendents/school heads or attend a school board meeting to campaign against this censorship.
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4. Create a “Little Free Library” of Banned Books. Reach out to local social justice centers and ask if you can set up a little free library of banned and diverse books outside their facilities. Compile banned books (you can ask students at your school to donate books) and put them in a box in front of these community centers. Any passerby can take a book or add one!

5. Write a Letter to an Author of a Banned Book. Write an encouraging letter to an author of a banned book, and promote their work on social media accounts and in your community. Request to do an interview with them, and reach out to publications (especially those that support marginalized writers) to see if you could publish a review of that novel in one of their issues or on their blog. Good publications include Apogee Journal, The Acentos Review, and our very own, The #TWP Quarterly Lit Zine!

These are just small ways for you, as a literary citizen, to make a huge impact on the freedom of choice when it comes to what you let your mind explore though literature.