Dear MoveOn member,
MoveOn just released our brand-new, special-edition "The Books They Ban
Are the Books I'll Read Next" holographic bookmark—and we're giving them
away for FREE while supplies last, as part of our drive to celebrate books
and the freedom to read and our push against book bans.
[ [link removed] ]Click here or on the image below to claim your free bookmark.
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Far-right extremists are pursuing a coordinated and relentless crusade to
ban books and stop students from learning about race, sexual orientation,
gender identity, police violence, the Holocaust, different cultures, and
an unbiased version of the history of our country. From school boards and
library boards to state legislatures, they are finding ways to remove
books from shelves and classroom lessons.
Among the most frequently banned books in America? "The Hate U Give,"
written by Angie Thomas, traces the life of a 16-year-old Black girl from
a poor neighborhood who attends an elite, white private school and
witnesses a white police officer shoot and kill her childhood friend, and
"Gender Queer," a memoir about self-discovery and gender identity by
nonbinary author Maia Kobabe.^1 In Florida, the complaint of one parent
even had "The Hill We Climb," a poem by the National Youth Poet Laureate
Amanda Gorman, which she read at President Biden's inauguration, removed
from a class curriculum.^2
Unfortunately, this dangerous, right-wing campaign to ban books across the
nation is only escalating.
The American Library Association reported a record number of attempted
book bans—most of which target books written by or about people of color
or members of the LGBTQ+ community—in 2022, nearly doubling the previous
year.^3,4
It's vital that everyone is able to read essential works that teach
empathy and compassion and lift up the most pressing issues facing our
society, John.
That's why MoveOn is supporting a range of efforts to fight against book
bans—from a Banned Bookmobile getting ready to tour the country, to
petitions signed by hundreds of thousands of MoveOn members, to ways folks
can proclaim their opposition to bans in their everyday lives—including
these "The Books They Ban Are the Books I'll Read Next" bookmarks. By
getting yours and using it proudly, you'll join our fight to stop book
bans and raise awareness about the GOP's effort to restrict learning and
freedom of expression.
[ [link removed] ]Click here to get yours now (while supplies last) and use it to keep
your place in your banned book!
Thanks for all you do.
–Kelly, Mona, Eric, Amy, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "The 50 most banned books in America," CBS News, November 10, 2022
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2. "Amanda Gorman’s inauguration poem banned by Florida school," PBS, May
24, 2023
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3. "American Library Association reports record number of demands to
censor library books and materials in 2022," American Library Association,
March 22, 2023
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4. "ALA: Number of unique book titles challenged jumped nearly 40% in
2022," NPR, April 24, 2023
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Want to support MoveOn's work? Book bans have skyrocketed thanks to
right-wing state laws which have forced teachers to remove books from
their classrooms. In response, MoveOn is launching a "Banned Bookmobile,"
filling it with books that the far right has banned, and driving it around
to hand out those books, for free, in highly trafficked areas that will
attract media attention. To keep the Banned Bookmobile up and running into
2024, we need your help.
Will you chip in to power our critical work?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in.
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