Banned books and Blackness
15th November 2021 · 0 Comments
The images of parents and white supremacists at school board meetings and decrying Critical Race Theory invokes images of the virulent, hateful parents in the early 1960s spitting, cursing, and calling children who dared to integrate public schools derogatory names.
Racial hatred is front and center for all to see once again. Most disgusting and embarrassing are the complaints of white parents and white school officials who think Critical Race Theory (CRT) is a part of every curriculum that teaches about cultural diversity and books written by Black authors.
They believe any information about the Black experience in America may make their children uncomfortable, sad, or ashamed.
When the word “race” emerges in any context, whites launch defensive attacks. They ignore, deny, or turn blind eyes to the historical violence and structural racism leveled at Black and Brown Americans, which continues today.
CRT is the practice of examining the intersection of race and law in the United States. It’s taught exclusively in law schools. In the American Bar Association’s Human Rights Magazine, Janel George offers “A Lesson on Critical Race Theory,” which explains the legal theory.
Some white people want to keep their children ignorant of the Black experience and Black culture, as portrayed by Black authors.
In the irony of all ironies, last month during Banned Books Week, the award-winning book “New Kid” by Jerry Craft, a Black man, was attacked as promoting CRT.
In Katy, TX, parents gathered 444 signatures on a petition. They demanded school officials cancel Jerry Craft’s October virtual author visit and “stop the promotion of” his 2020 Newbery Medal winner New Kid and the sequel Class Act.
“This petition is to ask KISD administration and superintendent to cancel the Zoom call and stop the promotion of these books, which are wrought with critical race theory in the form of teaching children that their white privilege inherently comes with microaggressions which must be kept in check…Craft’s writings, “New Kid” and “Class Act,” are being promoted to the students and their parents without any notice of the overt Critical Race Theory teachings throughout both books.”
When someone tweeted about New Kid, “How is this book banned?” Craft responded, “???????? Apparently, I’m teaching critical race theory,” Kara Yorio wrote in the School Library Journal. The School Board canceled Craft’s visit, and his books were pulled “pending review.”
Craft, the author/artist of New Kid, holds the distinction of writing and illustrating the first graphic novel to win the Newbery Medal in 2020. The purpose of the Newbery Medal is to encourage original creative work in children’s books. New Kid is a NY Times bestseller and winner of the Coretta Scott King & Kirkus Awards.
In the New Kid, 12-year-old Jordan Banks, one of a few African-American students in an exclusive private school, regularly deals with racism and microaggressions.
MSNBC reported that NBC News looked at 33 cities and counties where White parents have fought their school systems to address topics that have been mislabeled as Critical Race Theory and found those school systems have, over the last 25 years have become less and less white.
So, there it is. This CRT anxiety is really about America’s changing demographics and whites’ fear of losing their white privileges and control of this political power and wealth.
In awarding Craft the 2020 Newberry Award for New Kid, Newbery Medal Committee Chair Krishna Grady said, “This distinct, timely, and honest story respects children and gives its readers a glimpse into what it means to be other.”
Craft may be the latest black author to be attacked, but he’s in good company. In addition to the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times 1619 Project edited by Nikole Hannah-Jones, The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC), joined the American Library Association in publishing a list of 10 Banned Books by Black Authors.
Many of these books are American classics that have won Pulitzer Prizes and other awards.
We suggest you read them because whenever White people don’t want us to gain knowledge — slaves were forbidden to be taught to read and write — be assured that knowledge is the power they don’t want us to acquire:
“Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe, “A Lesson Before Dying” by Ernest J. Gaines, “Beloved” by Toni Morrison, “Invisible Man” by Ralph Ellison, “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker, “Black Boy” by Richard Wright, “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston, “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” by Malcolm X and Alex Haley and “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou, America’s first African-American poet laureate.
The American Library Association also published the Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2020, which opponents of social justice and diversity think contain “divisive concepts.”
The campaign to ban books is running parallel to the nationwide campaign against CRT, diversity training, and anti-racism curricula in schools.
In September 2020, Trump issued an executive order excluding any federal contracts for diversity and inclusion training, which he said contained “divisive concepts” of “Race or Sex Stereotyping” and “Race or Sex Scapegoating.” Trump also banned the teaching of the 1619 Project and Critical Race Theory in schools.
“Race or sex-stereotyping or scapegoating” means assigning fault, blame, or bias to a race or sex or members of a race or sex because of their race or sex. It also includes any claim that consciously or unconsciously and because of their race or sex, members of any race are inherently racist or are intrinsically inclined to oppress others, or that members of a particular sex are inherently sexist or inclined to oppress others.”
Over 120 civil rights organizations and allies signed a letter condemning the executive order. Organizers canceled more than 300 diversity and inclusion training events due to Trump’s order.
“The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), the National Urban League (NUL), and the National Fair Housing Alliance filed a federal lawsuit. They alleged that the executive order violates the guarantees of free speech, equal protection, and due process,” Janel George wrote in “A Lesson on Critical Race Theory.” published last January in the American Bar Association’s Human Rights Magazine
At least ten states and the federal government proposed legislation against “divisive concepts” this year to smother the truth about America’s history of oppressing and suppressing people of color.
Louisiana is part of the ‘cover up the truth about the Black Experience’ cult.” Republican State Rep. Raymond Garofalo penned House Bill 564, which opposed the “training of certain concepts related to race and sex in elementary and secondary schools and postsecondary education institutions.”
MSNBC Opinion Columnist Zach Stafford wrote that the critical race theory panic is mainly about white parents holding on to mythologies. He said classrooms are more diverse, and students need the tools to co-exist with one another.
We agree.
This article originally published in the November 15, 2021 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
