One would think that we’ve evolved enough as a society to move beyond the sort of censorship that has marked the darker periods of our history.
One would be wrong.
Last Tuesday, the Randolph County Board of Education in North Carolina voted 5-2 to remove Ralph Ellison’s masterwork The Invisible Man from the shelves of its school libraries.
The book is one among a much larger list of works that with depressing reliability have been prohibited from consumption by readers.
Next week is Banned Books Week. Sigh.
Well, because the First Amendment still sees regular challenges, the Libraries and the Department of English have teamed up to have a public discussion about the state of censorship in the Lone Star State.
“Texas Banned Books: Questions and Answers” (TXBBQ&A) will be an interactive roundtable discussion about the real, relevant state of censorship in Texas. The conversation will center on Texas schools and values, books in prison, freedom of the press and the right to read.
Maley Thompson of the Department of English will moderate the discussion among five distinguished panelists:
- Donnis Baggett, The Texas Press Association
- Acacia O’Connor, The National Coalition Against Censorship
- Scott Medlock, The Texas Civil Rights Project
- Lilia Rosas, Red Salmon Press & Resistencia Bookstore
- Rocío Villalobos, MonkeyWrench Books, Multicultural Engagement Center & Rise Up/Levanta Texas
The event is free and open to the public, and all voices are welcome.
More info here.