The banning of books is now banned!
On Monday, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law to curb book bans in the state. The intention is to combat discrimination in schools on the basis of race and sexual orientation.
Newsom released a statement on this landmark decision.
Newsom: When I sign, your bill will go into affect immediately in the state of California. Ban on book bans here in the state. This is long overdue, and this banning binge has to come to an end.
This bill will charge districts for replacement textbooks if they fail to purchase curriculum aligning with the state’s anti-discriminatory laws. However, this might not stop certain school boards.
Dean Pedro Noguera of the USC Rossier School of Education shares whether this will be affective in keeping books on the shelves.
Pedro Noguera: The sanctions from the state may not be a deterrent because they’re they’re more focused on their political agenda than on the educational needs of children.
Noguera commented on this trend of book bans that has been an ongoing debate in California, as many districts take their own initiative to ban certain books.
Noguera: Several years ago, there were some school districts that wanted to ban Huckleberry Finn, the classic novel by Mark Twain, because throughout the novel, he used the N-word. Now, I oppose the book bans in general because I’m opposed to censorship, but also because I felt he was writing during a period when that word was commonly used. And to now erase it is to erase a part of our history. I think it’s more important to teach teachers how to teach a book like Huckleberry Finn than it is to ban the book and its content.
This kind of legislation has only been seen in one other state, with Illinois having a similar bill that will go into affect in January. However, many other states have opposite legislation that support the banning of books. Campbell Donovan is a USC student who works as a research assistant at Rossier on a project studying what external factors affect Black and Hispanic student’s academic success, and she gives her opinion on the trend.
Campbell Donovan: There are still so many other states in the country that are taking opposite steps and trying to deliver a more incomplete version of history. That, from what we predict with our research, hinders the success of Hispanic and black students.
Julie Marsh, a Professor of Education at Rossier with a concentration in K through 12 Education Policy shares why its important for these books to remain in schools.
Julie Marsh: I think for LGBTQ students, I think for minoritized students to see role models in the books that they’re reading, to see stories of leadership and strength is always important for kids of all kinds.
The bill will also take a weight of the shoulders of educators across the state who have felt torn between their values about what they believe is right for students to learn, and what they’re being told to do by their school boards.
Marsh: The state coming in, I think, could certainly help give them some protection and. Some relief.
Usually, school boards have been able to self-govern, but Newsom’s unprecedented bill will change that.
For Annenberg Media, I’m Valeria Macias.