#crtical race theory

[cuddlefishbandit]

About Book Banning of LGBTQ+ and BIPOC Works, For Students Who May Be Restricted:

The resurgence of censorship of books which detail the experiences of queer and BIPOC voices in the US is alarming. The legality of such actions is murky-to-nonexistent, at best, but that won't stop groups like No Left Turn in Education, Moms for Liberty, and Parents Defending Education from doing everything in their power to further alienate and stigmatize LGBTQ+ and POC youth and age-appropriate narratives. None of this is okay.

It's been a long time since I was ever in school, but I've scrounged up some resources for those who may not have access to legal/policy documents at home or at school due to banned keyword searches, etc. It is public-access, educational content to assist in the fight against censorship of minority voices.

I'm putting the links here so that students don't have to make an active search for it online, in case their school or home has keyword scanning and/or key-logging software installed to prohibit/flag the search and consumption of queer-friendly and CRT topics, articles, and content.

[REMINDER: One-click links may assist in bypassing restrictions made by unsafe authorities when it comes to keyword-specific triggers, but not software which may log tracking data related to cookies and website addresses, themselves. Proceed with caution if you think you might be tracked by search history, and DO NOT interact if doing so risks your privacy and/or personal safety.]

Get informed. LAMBDA Legal has a pretty good pamphlet on the illegality of "viewpoint discrimination" against LGBT+ books, First Amendment protections for LGBTQ+ aligned books as observed in certain states (though its wording seems to make a blanket case for states on the whole--which isn't always acknowledged in states like TX, FL, or NC), and regional legal help-desks than you can reach out to.

https://www.lambdalegal.org/sites/default/files/publications/downloads/fs_preventing-censorship-of-lgbt-information-in-pubilc-school-libraries_1.pdf

(For LGBTQ+ students and allies in private school settings, you may want to get in touch with Lambda's own legal help-desk in order to answer questions about what protections are offered to you, by state, as a general rule. Their number is 1-866-542-833 .)

ACLU (The American Civil Liberties Union) has a page on ten of the most commonly-banned books in school across the US as of this posting, which I will reference here in this image:

(For those unable to see the image due to poor/throttled loading speeds/capacities, I'll list it here):

"The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison

"Heather Has Two Mommies" by Leslea Newman

"All Boys Aren't Blue" by George M. Johnson

"Gender Queer: A Memoir" by Maia Kobabe

"Melissa" by Alex Gino

"Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and You" by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds

"All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

"Lawn Boy" by Jonathan Evison

"The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas

"Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Banned Books Book Club maintains a program where teachers/parents/students/librarians/others can request banned books to be shipped to them. I would suggest a trusted individual or set of individuals keep a stock of your preferred books on-hand to lend to other students, teachers, and clubs.

The link will be given here:

Fore those that want to take the route of writing to their local legislatures, in addition to forming coalitions within their own student bodies and libraries, I have a little bit a extra information you might find useful.

The American Library Association has a number of essays which detail the rights that librarians, teachers, and students have to defend their access to frequently-challenged information. Some of these resources are either behind a paywall, restricted to inter-library access via WorldCat, or from a version of the ALA policy manual which I'm not sure has been updated. That said, I will list these resources here, as I'm able to find them:

In terms of general information, the last I can point to currently is a wonderful article from LDF which not only talks about the anti-Critical Race Theory sentiment which drives book banning on racially-diverse perspectives in the US as of late, but provides an up-to-date, interactive infographic on what laws have been set in place to hamper or ban progressive teaching points by state:

Please read, use the information to inform those around you if you can, stay alert, and stay safe! If this helps even one person become better-informed, my job will be done.

[hezigler]

Watch "The Republican War On Teachers | Robert Reich" on YouTube

[qupritsuvwix]

Stupid Parents Against Stuff?

[notoriouslyidiosyncratic]

You can either participate in the American lie, or the American Dream - freedom and equality for all or nothing, baby!

[bantuotaku]

Reparations & Transformational Government | @BantuOtaku

[mysharona1987]

[yourladyindank]

Here’s a fun topic. Anyone have an intelligent opinion on critical race theory?

[porterdavis]

[blog-sliverofjade]

[rosielindy]

Recent news of book banning and political weaponization of CRT in public schools reminds me of an experience I had 10 years ago here in Central Indiana.

At the time I was a volunteer working with third grade students to help improve their reading skills because they were not at the level needed to advance to fourth grade. We would all gather in a room with tutors and students, using donated books that were categorized by reading level. When a student finished one book, they were allowed to select the next.

I worked with one student who consistently chose books that were a bit more advanced. One day she presented me with a biography of Rosa Parks. As we started to read she gave me a confused look. That’s when I realized she couldn’t comprehend why it was such a big deal that a woman who looked like her would be arrested for where she was sitting on a bus.

I spent a significant amount of time during that reading session trying to explain segregation and why it was wrong. I told her women like Rosa Parks stood up against oppression and paved the way for girls like her to have equal rights. I recalled my experience in second grade when schools were de-segregated and my parents fought against it. I let her know it confused me too and as I got older I realized it was racism and it was wrong.

In today’s political climate would this book even be allowed in her school? Would I be ostracized for telling her the truth? I love teaching and mentoring and do it every chance I get. I can’t begin to imagine being a public school teacher, threatened for teaching the history of racism in America, especially when their students are mostly non-white.

When my school was de-segregated in 1971, I was fortunate to have open-minded teachers and books available in our library to give me perspective, as well as friends who helped me understand skin color was irrelevant. I remember looking differently at the water fountains and bathrooms that only white students had used the year before. Fortunately, my parents didn’t pay much attention to what I was hearing and reading, and I learned a lot about diversity thanks to shows on PBS, especially The Electric Company and Mr. Rogers.

My parents held me back for two weeks, trying to fight integration while also scrambling for alternatives to send me to another school. Thankfully, the Baptist private school was too expensive. Another option they seriously considered was to move us to a small family fishing cabin in a rural area with no indoor plumbing that was crawling with insects. It all seems so crazy, misguided, and desperate to me now. I’m forever grateful they were not successful in isolating me from reality and I didn’t have to spend my childhood in a cabin that terrified me.

[lady-griffin]

https://www.propublica.org/article/georgia-dei-crt-schools-parents

I though this was very good and well written article that showed how these racists have not just completely taken a hold of schools, but also have attacked this woman and turned her into their scape goat for their hatred and vitriol.

[amezmemes]

Unfukingbelievable! 🤬

Booney Lake High School 👆

[pumpkinspicepunani]

Istg the ffffffs live an alternate reality.

[mysharona1987]