Tell the U.S. Department of Education to investigate book bans and
censorship in public schools. It's time to step in and protect the freedom
to learn
[ [link removed] ]Take Action Now
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Hi Friend,

I had the benefit of an amazing public education growing up in Florida,
but thanks to far right extremists in my state and across the nation, my
kid and others’ freedom to learn and read is at risk and something has to
be done.

Moms, parents, teachers, and community leaders across the country are
defending children’s freedom to learn, to be themselves, and pursue their
dreams no matter where they are from or what they look like, but they need
more reinforcements from national leaders - STAT!

[ [link removed] ]***Tell the U.S. Department of Education to keep up the good work – and
that now’s the time for them to step in to investigate actions to ban
books and propagate misinformation in public schools and protect the
freedom to learn!

As you may have already heard on the news, last week the Florida State
Board of Education just passed standards that will harmfully and
ridiculously require middle school students to learn that “Black people
benefited from slavery,” despite important opposition from countless
families and community leaders in the room and across the state. The new,
awful, standard requires a curriculum that includes: “slaves developed
skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal
benefit.” [1] Let us be clear here: This is ludicrous, hateful, racist,
and has no place in our schools.

Sadly, we know the attacks on books, schools, and communities won’t stop
here.

Far-right MAGA Republican Governors and state legislatures across the
nation have been using political tricks to erode accurate and
age-appropriate education, attack LGBTQ+ communities, and ban books. For
many of us on-the-ground, this is like the worst, toxic game of
whack-a-mole in existence and some reinforcements right about now would be
really great.

[ [link removed] ]Add your name to urge the U.S. Department of Education to protect
students’ right to read and learn in schools by investigating how these
laws and standards may violate students’ civil rights.

Don’t believe this can be happening? Think again. In my own hometown in
Jacksonville, a video went viral of empty book shelves in schools (the
educator has since been fired for posting the video) and students as young
as nine have been speaking out. [2]

What books are being pulled? Plain and simple, books about diverse
communities, history, and LGBTQ+ families and communities. Books like
Black Boy Joy, When Aiden Became a Brother, and the Diary of Anne Frank.
[3,4] Yes. You read those titles right. Earlier this year in Pinellas
County, a school age book about the story of the famous civil right
activist Ruby Bridges who helped integrate schools in New Orleans when she
was 6-years-old was challenged and the iconic Disney film about Ruby
Bridges was banned outright due to one single complaint. [ [link removed] ] Just one
complaint meant none of the kids could learn about Ruby Bridges until
other parents filed formal measures to get it back in. But unfortunately
there are so many far-right politically motivated attacks happening that
parents and local communities in Florida and in other states need back up:

* According to PEN America, between July and December 2022, instances of
individual book bans occurred in 66 school districts in 21 states with
Texas, Florida, Missouri, Utah, and South Carolina experiencing the
most bans, [ [link removed] ]
* Between January and September 2021 alone, 24 legislatures across the
United States introduced 54 separate bills intended to restrict
teaching and training in K-12 schools, higher education, and state
agencies and institutions. The majority of these bills targeted
discussions of race, racism, gender, and American history [ [link removed] ], and
* Right now, the ACLU is tracking over 200 anti-LGBTQ+ school and
education proposals across the country. [8]

These coordinated attacks are NOT okay. Well-funded far-right politicians
are becoming a censorship machine actively working to ban age-appropriate
books, erase honest and accurate American history, and attack students and
teachers simply for who they love.

[ [link removed] ]Sign on and urge the U.S. Department of Education to back up families,
students, teachers, and communities on the ground and protect the freedom
to learn!

After you sign, don’t forget to forward this email to friends and family
and ask them to sign, too. Together, we can demand every child have access
to a high-quality and accurate education.

Thank you for helping protect our kids’ freedom to read and learn,

- Nina, Donna, Gloria, Nate, Kristin, and the whole MomsRising.org &
MamásConPoder Team

References:

[1]
[link removed]
[2] [ [link removed] ]WATCH: Florida 4th-graders react to battle over school libraries,
media centers, News4Jax, Mar 23, 2023
[3] [5]THESE 176 BOOKS WERE BANNED IN DUVAL COUNTY, FLORIDA, Pen America,
December 2022
[4] [6]Which books are allowed? Varied interpretations of Florida law lead
to confusion at schools, Tallahassee Democrat
[5] [7]Removal of ‘Ruby Bridges’ film from Pinellas school sparks outrage,
Tampa Bay Times, March 27, 2023
[6]
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[7]
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[8]
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