MY FINAL PIECES

MOVEMENT JOURNALISM

Pitch, Piece, and Bio as if it were sent to Ms. Magazine for publication.

Pitch:

As a student that is committed to learning about gender and cultural issues, I would love to submit the following piece that speaks to the ongoing issues with challenging and banning books across the United States. I would like to submit an article that discusses a short back story of book banning, why it is a terrible idea, the importance of representation in children’s/ YA books, and addresses the big question of it banning books is even about protecting children.

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Piece:

Book banning is a historical performance we seem to have never learned from. The United States has an extensive history of banning works from many genres autobiographical, fiction, and non-fiction… what is it about this performative practice that we haven’t learned from, and why are the adults attempting to protect children from books, instead of the actions that are depicted within those books, that exist because they are true, in the context that these situations happen every day and being told about them are the best ways to prepare. Why continue to ban books when it isn’t effective, and deny a child an opportunity to be seen?

Representation matters. When looking at social experiments like The Doll Test it is clear that having individual and family representation is imperative to the development of children and young adults.  Having diversity in children’s books increases literacy, builds positive self-worth, and helps students understand other cultures while building a connection with their own. This is also important to children and young adults,  it is so important that teens ask for more of it to be present in their schools. Not banning these books doesn’t have a negative impact while keeping them out of schools will continue to cause harm.

As the representation of young children and teenagers with different identities has been increasing, so has the call to action to have them banned in libraries and K-12 curricula across the country. The American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom tracks the banning of books and the reasons for them being challenged. In 2021 they tracked 729 challenges, and discovered alarming survey data that  82-97% of challenges made against books are not reported. Some of the top ten books that are were banned or challenged include Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe, All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, and This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson.

The books that are challenged grapple with tough and complicated, but very real issues that many teens will face. While Oklahoma is accusing the educational system of indoctrinating students with gender, sexual, and racial identity curriculums and courses the state is joined by an additional 26 states including Texas, all working to ban books in a heightened political conflict, possibly for votes. If this is removed from courses, it poses the question of what would be left? Without these topics, K-12 students would miss out on the opportunities to learn, be compassionate, build critical thinking skills, or gain a greater understanding of the world and history. To really be about the concern of children then they would be fighting for more representation and not against it.

In the digital age of today, the politicized challenge of a book and its possible banning may encourage people to read these books instead of discouraging them. Independent book stores create tables with the banned high lights, and politicians blow up giant visualizations of children’s books raising them to number one on book sales charts, with online shopping so accessible it is easy for people to make a few clicks and have the books show up at their doors. Children, young adults, and adults will learn about the books that they may have never heard of otherwise.

Book banning is generally performed in a loud display of an effort to protect the children. Without ever offering clear reasoning about protecting children. It isn’t really about the children and is just a failure to acknowledge diverse stories due to prejudice. When 7 out of 10 people do not know what Critical Race Theory (CRT) is, regardless of this lack of understanding, so many are demanding that it not be present in school. People who aren’t even parents are outraged about educational practices with no understanding of how to create an effective class curriculum. When there is an understanding of what CRT is the ban on it is more in alignment with attacks on free speech as it negates the experiences of Women and men that are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.

To understand the books that are being challenged or banned the best idea may be to read them yourself before deciding. You can learn more about the types of books that are being challenged and attempting to be banned read any of these challenged or banned books.

BIO:

Katie is a recent 2022 graduate from the University of Washington Bothell who graduated with a double major in Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies & American Ethnic Studies, and a minor in Diversity Studies. They will be continuing their education at the Claremont Graduate University in California where they will be pursuing a double degree program to obtain a Master of Arts in Applied Gender Studies and a Master of Arts in Cultural Studies.