Swearing on a Stack of Banned Books
My new hero.
Karen Smith is my new hero.
Have you heard about her? She was recently elected School Board President in Bucks County Pennsylvania.
OK that’s nice. Why is that heroic?
Well for starters, she is a former Republican who switched party affiliation over anti-LGBTQ efforts by her school board. Which is worth noting in the face of so many do-or-die Trump-cult-nik anti-democracy Republicans. And also worth noting is the fact that after switching her political party affiliation she then ran for school board president in her county - and won.
And yes, there’s more.
When Karen Smith was sworn in following her victory, she did so by placing her hand, not on a bible, but rather on a stack of books that have been targeted by book bans.
This action moved me deeply, for its creativity and for its chutzpah.
Karen Smith explained her choice to place her hand on these banned books for her swearing-in by stating that she wanted to demonstrate “the commitment I’ve had to fighting for the books, and for our students’ freedom to read”.
In an article from the Philadelphia Inquirer on December 5th, she explained her reasons for selecting each of the six books upon which she placed her hand for the swearing-in.
“Night”, the autobiographical account of Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel. A high school librarian had been directed by the then-Republican-led school board to remove the following quote from Elie Wiesel’s book which he had posted in the library: “I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” Karen Smith was among those on the school board who had opposed the removal.
“The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, which includes a scene where the character is raped by her father. Karen Smith said, “comments from sexual abuse survivors [stated] it was very important that young people who may have suffered sexual abuse have some way to learn about it, and they’re not alone. Their feelings are valid.”
“Lily and Dunkin,” a story about a transgender girl and a boy with bipolar disorder who are friends. A group called “Woke PA” had objected to this book on grounds of inappropriate material and sexual content. After reading the book Karen Smith said, “I get to the end, and there’s nothing in here. Not even a kiss. [it is] a sweet story about friendship — except one student in the book is transgender. That’s it.”
“All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson, a young adult memoir about growing up black and queer that includes sexually explicit passages. Regarding those passages Smith invokes the author as saying, “He thought it would help other young gay men and that’s why he did it,” she said. “I just thought that was admirable.”
“Flamer,” a graphic novel by Mike Curato that depicts the thoughts and feelings of an eighth-grade boy who discovers he is gay at summer camp. Smith had sat on a conference panel with the American Association of School Librarians where she heard from a young person fighting book bans in Texas, who stated that the book had saved their life. She said when she heard this, “it stunned me”.
“Beyond Magenta” by Susan Kuklin, a book about the lives of six transgender teens that has been the target of book bans nationally. “I think it’s a valuable book that some young people could really benefit from,” Smith said.
Members of groups who are marginalized no doubt write their stories for many reasons – to be heard, to be understood, to bring their stories to light and perhaps to inspire or even save lives. Organizations like “Woke PA” and others are fighting to suppress their voices.
Book bans aren’t just happening in Florida and Texas and Bucks County Pennsylvania. This is a growing national trend.
According to PEN America, an organization that advocates for the freedom to write and that has been at the forefront of the fight against book bans, such bans have been put in place in school districts in 33 states so far this year - a significant increase over previous years.
The growth of the book ban trend frightens me. This effort to suppress freedom of thought and expression frightens me.
So Karen Smith is my new hero, for making this fight her fight.
Definitely one of many heroic people who have stood up to tyranny.