A newly passed resolution by the Essex County School Boards Association (ECSBA) ensures the right to information in the wake of multiple attempts of banning books in libraries and schools. The resolution, which was passed with an overwhelming majority on September 27th, makes it clear that access to uncensored, free knowledge, especially at public schools, should and will be protected. The vote occurred just before the start of Banned Books Week — a week of awareness on book banning and celebrations of the freedom of reading — and shows necessary progress towards ending book bans not only in the county but in the state too.
For the past few years, a network of conservative extremists and organizations has been growing and causing great harm to the future of America’s education system. These groups are targeting hundreds of books in libraries and school districts across the country, including classics like To Kill A Mockingbird, Fahrenheit 451, and The Color Purple. Unfortunately, these classics are just a small portion of the banned book list in certain areas. Much of the banned pieces of literature were either written by or about African American or LGBTQ+ people. Other books relating to the Holocaust, such as Elie Wiesel’s Night, have also been victims of conservative censorship.
Newer novels like The Perks Of Being A Wallflower and The Hate U Give have been removed from school shelves around the nation as well, supposedly due to their sensitive and inappropriate content. Both of those books, before being banned, were wildly successful and adapted into movies. The Perks of Being A Wallflower features LGBTQ+ characters, while The Hate U Give follows black characters and depicts racism and anti-police views. Those pushing for the bans, who are predominantly anti-LGBTQ+ and pro-police, feel that many of these topics are inappropriate for children, with some believing that they are a form of indoctrination. They pretend their actions are for the sake of the children. In reality, the book-banning groups want to prevent these future generations from growing up with beliefs that differ from their own extreme conservative Christian beliefs.
Though these movements across the nation to censor knowledge have been successful in many districts, primarily throughout the states of Texas, Florida, South Carolina, Utah, and Missouri, others have seen the clear dangers of book censorship in the 21st century and protected peoples’ rights to information. New Jersey has been trying to make progress toward preserving people’s First Amendment rights and ensuring the freedom to receive information, and Essex County exemplifies this progress perfectly.
The president of the ECSBA, Reginald Bledsoe, spoke of the resolution, “By passing this resolution, we are taking a stand against censorship and ensuring that our students have access to a wide range of perspectives that reflect the complexities of our world.” This simple concept of students being able to learn the intricacies of the world around them is very important and needs to be understood by school districts around the country that are trying to isolate children from sensitive subjects.
Though this resolution is a giant step in the right direction and is quite promising, it won’t be officially passed into NJ law unless it is approved by the Delegate Assembly of the New Jersey School Boards Association on December 2, 2023. To raise these future generations in a modern world it is essential that their right to access diverse, truthful information is maintained.
