What the Rise in Book Bans Means for Racial Justice
The recent surge in book bans significantly impacts racial justice, reflecting and perpetuating structural racism within our educational systems and society.
These bans are disproportionately aimed at literature by and about Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) authors and characters, and those discussing topics of race and racism. For instance, one Texas lawmaker’s list of 850 books for potential ban included 97% by authors from ethnic minorities, women, or the LGBTQ+ community in its first 100 reviewed. Between July 2021 and June 2022, books featuring protagonists or secondary characters of color accounted for 659 bans, and discussions of race and racism were present in 338 banned books. In 2023, 47% of titles targeted for censorship represented the voices and lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC individuals.
Book bans perpetuate structural racism by:
- Reinforcing White Supremacy and Normativity: They uphold tenets of white supremacy inherent in the American public school system, championing a white, straight, cisgender, and homogeneous learning environment as normative. Justifications for removal, such as “educational suitability” and “pervasive vulgarity,” are often subjective and rooted in white normative presumptions that privilege traditional, white, Western ideals, thereby rationalizing the continued oppression of BIPOC communities.
- Silencing and Erasure: The primary aim of these bans is to mute and erase the experiences of people of color by controlling the curriculum. This action communicates that the identities, lived realities, and histories of minoritized groups are “divisive, bannable, prohibited, punishable, illegal”.
- Legislating Trauma through Microaggressions: Critical Race Theorists categorize these intentional exclusions of texts as microaggressions, which are subtle, persistent, and layered assaults on a person’s dignity. Research increasingly shows that microaggressions constitute a form of trauma, which can manifest in negative long-term health outcomes. For students, this can lead to decreased self-esteem, feelings of isolation, increased stress and anxiety, and lowered academic performance. One trans young person noted that the constant contention over LGBTQ+ books shows them “that their existence is a topic of debate”.
Addressing the rise in book bans requires a multifaceted approach focused on dismantling structural racism:
- Promoting Access to Diverse Texts: Ensuring school libraries and curricula include diverse texts and counternarratives is critical for students to challenge dominant narratives, develop nuanced understanding, and see their identities reflected and affirmed.
- Empowering Students and Communities: Students, educators, and community members are actively resisting these bans through activism, including speaking out at school board meetings, forming banned book clubs, and finding innovative ways to provide access to challenged books.
- Legislative and Judicial Action: Efforts to enact “Freedom to Read” laws and ensure a judiciary diverse in thought, experience, and color are essential to apply the First Amendment equitably and recognize the dangers of silencing race-related discourse.
- Dismantling Systemic Oppression: True racial justice requires a shift from focusing on individual acts to dismantling the pervasive systems, laws, policies, and practices that perpetuate inequality. This includes integrating anti-racism research and practice across various disciplines, challenging deeply embedded racialized rules, and actively working to address the root causes of trauma and harm.
Photo by Anastasiia Chepinska on Unsplash
