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The Value Of Education: Illinois Fights Back Against Book Bans [1]

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Date: 2023-06-14  

“Those who burn books will in the end burn people," said German poet, Heinrich Heine. While we do not today burn books, MAGA extremists across the country have moved to ban books from public schools and libraries. While we do no today burn people, in his video announcing his run for a second term as president, Joe Biden explicitly tied book bans with MAGA attempts to restrict voting rights and abortion. Book bans may not lead to people-burning, but they do lead to real restrictions on our civil liberties. To combat this rising tide, the state of Illinois has passed a first-in-the-nation bill prohibiting book bans.

A Monumental Bill

After signing the bill into law at a Chicago library this Monday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said that, “Book bans are about censorship, marginalizing people, marginalizing ideas and facts. Regimes banned books, not democracies. We refuse to let a vitriolic strain of White nationalism coursing through our country determine whose histories are told, not in Illinois.” That message powerfully communicates the dangers of book banning.

The bill comes into effect on January 1, and will compel libraries to adopt the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, or a similar statement prohibiting book bans. The ALA’s Library Bill of Rights says that reading materials “should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval” or “excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.” If a library is unwilling to adopt such a statement, they will be ineligible for state money.

The Ed Scare

This bill comes at a perilous time for our freedom. According to PEN America , the 2022-2023 school year has seen an acceleration in book bans. The ALA counts 1,269 requests to ban books in 2022 alone. PEN America found more book bans in the fall 2022 semester than in either of the previous two semesters. A slew of legislation has not only labeled books “harmful” or “explicit”, it has also expanded the definition of those terms. MAGA extremists have sought to ban books on race, gender identity, and sexual orientation, as part of their campaign to narrow civil liberties. These bans have been paired with legislation to restrict teaching on those topics.

This wave of book bans is not something that Americans actually want. A 2022 CBS News/YouGov poll found that 87% of Americans were against banning books that discuss race, and a similar share was opposed to banning books that discuss slavery. A UChicago Harris/AP-NORC survey found that just 12% of Americans supported bans on books discussing “divisive topics”, while the ALA found that 71% of voters opposed banning books in public libraries. Perhaps even more shockingly, the ALA found that Republicans, at 70%, and Democrats, at 75%, were overwhelmingly against book bans. This is true even when there is no consensus on what should be taught in classrooms.

Book bans are being driven by MAGA extremists who have fallen into a moral panic about the march of progress and sparked an Ed Scare. For example, although there is no evidence that critical race theory is being taught in classrooms, these MAGA extremists have at least managed to convince their electorate that it is part of curricula across the country. As the Republican party has become the party of white grievance, the thought that critical race theory could be taught in America’s schools, and children learn about systemic racism in the country, freaks Republicans out. It’s not surprising that the CBS/YouGov poll found that 86% of Republicans frown on critical race theory. These MAGA extremists have unleashed fear and loathing in public schools and libraries, and they are determined to ensure that this will lead to greater restrictions on voting rights, access to abortion, and gender identity.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/6/14/2175434/-The-Value-Of-Education-Illinois-Fights-Back-Against-Book-Bans

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