Book bans un-American

As if there were not enough challenges facing the United States right now, Americans have to be on alert for a resurgence of bookbanning campaigns at their local libraries. Across the nation, groups of mostly white conservatives are demanding that books be locked up or taken off the shelves entirely. Their main targets? Books about black and LGBTQ people.

The United States was founded on the principle of freedom of expression. We might not always like what our neighbours and fellow citizens have to say, but watching the severe restriction of news and information flow in Russia is the latest reminder of how quickly censorship can turn into something truly sinister.

Purging libraries of books without a proper process and input from librarians, teachers and a range of community members is wrong. And it won’t be long before this latest book-ban push will likely prove to be counterproductive. Consider how the Confederacy banned books such as Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin for portraying slavery in a negative way. Or recall that in the late 1990s and early 2000s, there was outcry that the Harry Potter books were dangerous for children.

These latest book bans are not about protecting youths. Librarians and concerned citizens are right to fight them.