As fears of ‘woke’ culture spread, New York should prohibit book bans
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One of the most alarming political trends spreading across the country are book bans. PEN America, a nonprofit organization that supports freedom of expression in public school classrooms and libraries, has recorded 3,362 instances of book bans or censorship in the 2022-23 school year, a 33 percent increase from the year prior.
Many of the cases took place in Florida and Texas, where governors of both states have openly supported these bans as a challenge against what they deem as “woke ideology.” As a result, most of the books being banned span topics about women, people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
For Syracuse University students, it’s important to remember that book banning efforts aren’t obscure nor improbable in New York state either; this is not just a trend in the South. Tumultuous school board meetings, threats and complaints have buried the Hudson Valley area with 23 book challenges across 19 of the 76 school districts. Parents have complained about books such as “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe, which has been banned in 138 school districts in 32 states due to its candid discussion of body dysmorphia and sexuality.
These bans have become so commonplace and severe that the issue has been addressed multiple times by the White House. In his campaign video announcing his run for a second term, President Joe Biden referred to book bans as one of the mechanisms the “MAGA extremists” use to threaten “personal freedom” of Americans.
Book bans have a long and dark history in the United States, often driven by religious or moral fanatics. In the 1800s, Southern states banned anti-slavery books, even jailing some Black ministers, while federal Comstock laws restricted “obscene” materials including information on contraception. Groups like the New England Watch and Ward Society challenged books from “Huck Finn” to “Catcher in the Rye.” Throughout American history, book bans have frequently targeted school libraries over progressive texts and Black authors.
Though these bans primarily affect K-12 education and public libraries, their repercussions reverberate in higher institutions. Roy Gutterman, the director for the Tully Center for Free Speech in the Newhouse School of Public Communications, acknowledges the center’s role in raising awareness about such issues. The Tully Center annually recognizes and participates in Banned Book Week events, including a co-hosted read out of banned books at Bird Library.
In some conservative states, book bans have raised concerns over potential First Amendment violations. As explained by the American Library Association, the First Amendment fundamentally protects the right to receive information. Banning books in public schools and libraries infringes on this right by denying students and patrons access to ideas based on their viewpoint. The First Amendment forbids government censorship, including by states, with few exceptions.
While public complaints may prompt bans, state officials still have a duty to refrain from viewpoint discrimination. Censorship undermines free speech, critical thinking and open discourse vital to democracy. The impacts transcend schools to restrict ideas and narrow perspectives across communities.
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Gutterman believes that where book bans gain traction, they signify a First Amendment violation. “Libraries have a duty to provide readers with books and other information,” he said, emphasizing the importance of individual choice when it comes to accessing content.
Educators from the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development are calling on communities to take a stand against the wave of conservative-led book bans sweeping the nation. They advise protesting bans through legal channels while pressuring schools to uphold policies valuing diverse perspectives.
In response to conservative-led states banning books, liberal-majority states like Illinois have passed laws empowering the secretary of state’s office to withhold funds from libraries not following the American Library Association’s Bill of Rights, effectively blocking book bans in Illinois libraries.
Bans anywhere can restrict our ideas, and young people need to understand censorship risks. Diverse perspectives prepare students for democratic participation and threats to inclusion harm us all. Plus, digital access means no state’s bans are confined within borders. Students everywhere must value intellectual freedom and inclusive education by speaking up for open discourse; it’s every student’s responsibility to do so. To deter this troubling backsliding against the freedom of expression, New York state should follow the footsteps of Illinois and pass similar laws outlawing unwarranted book bans.
Book bans reflect society’s divisions and raise grim concerns about government censorship. Through grassroots activism, First Amendment education and vigilance against viewpoint discrimination, everyday citizens can help preserve access to all books. United resistance is key to ensuring schools and libraries remain places where all students can explore a diversity of ideas fundamental to a functioning democracy.
Allen Huang is a second year Media Studies masters student. He can be reached at xhuang49@syr.edu.
