Friend,
Last month, California made history by becoming the second state in the union by passing AB 1078, prohibiting book bans and textbook censorship by groups like Moms for Liberty.(1) Now fringe ideologies can't keep books out of kids’ hands in our state’s public schools.
But in much of the nation, the book-banners are winning -- and it’s affecting California. Textbook companies are pulling important information out of books to abide by outrageously discriminatory laws in Texas and Florida.(2) Scholastic tried to exclude diverse books from its regular list for the same reason.(3)
We can’t let Moms for Liberty and the Proud Boys dictate what our kids read. We need to show Congress that the momentum against book bans is real -- which is why we’re joining the fight as co-sponsors of the Resolution to Fight Book Bans and Defend the Right to Read.
Will you sign on today to help stop book bans?
It’s no secret as to why extremists are attacking books — 37% of the 6,000 book bans since 2021 featured people of color and 36% have LGBTQ+ characters or themes.(4)
And a shocking 96% of the bans in public schools skipped a proper review process. In fact, most bans stem from just 11 people.(5)
It’s time for real action. There is a resolution in Congress to affirm the rights of public schools and libraries to protect students, parents, and teachers from the fanatical peddling of hate.
We must stand as one against these extremists! Will you become a co-sponsor of the Resolution today?
Yes, I’ll sign on now.
Thank you for joining the fight.
–Irene, along with Angela, Annie, Isidra, Jen, and Lindsay (and the rest of the Courage team)
Footnotes: 1. https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/09/25/california-bans-book-bans-and-textbook-censorship-in-schools/ 2. https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2023/05/15/florida-social-studies-textbooks-indoctrination-desantis-us-history-teachers/ 3. https://www.npr.org/2023/10/25/1208419749/scholastic-book-fair-diverse-stories-apology 4. https://pen.org/report/book-bans-pressure-to-censor/ 5. https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/04/style/book-bans-sales-authors-impact-cec/index.html
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