[Libs-Or] Tuesday Topic, Sept. 2021: Libraries, Censorship, and Critical Race Theory

[Miranda Doyle]

Welcome to Tuesday Topics, a monthly series covering topics with
intellectual freedom implications for libraries of all types. Each message
is prepared by a member of OLA's Intellectual Freedom Committee or a guest
writer. Questions can be directed to the author of the topic or to the IFC
Committee.


Libraries, censorship and critical race theory

Books addressing racism and older titles criticized for racist content were
a notable addition to the American Library Association’s 2020 list
<https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10#2020>
of book challenges. For example, “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You” and
“Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story About Racial Injustice”
are on the Top 10 list this year. A majority of titles on the 2019 list
<https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10#2019>
of book challenges featured LGBTQIA+ characters or content
<https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/21/us/top-challenged-books-2019-lgbtq-trnd/index.html>
.

This is a very clear shift in focus; in addition to the two nonfiction
titles about race, three works of fiction by Black authors (“All American
Boys”, “The Hate U Give”, and “The Bluest Eye”) made the list. Also, “To
Kill a Mockingbird” and “Of Mice and Men” were challenged due to racial
slurs and stereotypes in the books.

This new list, side by side with the previous Top 10, reflects a national
controversy in K-12 schools. The often-heated discussion revolves around
whether and how teachers should address the issues around racism in the
United States. In particular, there is a movement to ban teaching about
topics such as systemic racism
<https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2021/07/02/why-are-states-banning-critical-race-theory/>
as it exists in the present day. Racism may have existed in the past, these
critics say, but now teachers are describing white students as oppressors
and making them feel guilty and ashamed.

On the other side of the debate, many educators argue that it’s important
for students to understand that U.S. social institutions -- including
schools, the criminal justice system, healthcare, and more -- still
perpetuate racism today. The purpose is not to make white students feel
guilty but to help them see that it’s not simply a few individuals with
racist beliefs that are the problem. Instead, everyone has a responsibility
to work to change these flawed systems that support white supremacy.

Critics of this type of teaching often use the phrase “critical race
theory” (CRT). CRT is a framework for legal analysis that considers how
racism is embedded in legal systems and government policies. One example is
redlining, when financial institutions discriminate based on race,
targeting mostly-nonwhite neighborhoods as financially risky and charging
more or refusing loans on demographics alone. While K-12 schools generally
do not teach critical race theory as it was first conceived -- for law
students, as a legal framework - “CRT” has become a shorthand for any
teaching about systemic racism, bias, or simply the existence of racism in
the present day.

Eight states have passed legislation addressing the issue. According to the
Brookings Institution, this legislation mostly bans “the discussion,
training, and/or orientation that the U.S. is inherently racist as well as
any discussions about conscious and unconscious bias, privilege,
discrimination, and oppression” (Ray & Gibbons, 2021). The laws include
discussions about gender as well as race.

While Oregon has not passed a similar law, the debate is certainly
happening, around new history and civics standards
<https://www.opb.org/article/2021/08/30/oregon-history-civics-standards-undergo-changes/>
as well as around the firing of a superintendent
<https://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/2021/08/opinion-equity-initiatives-at-stake-as-conservatives-take-school-board-seats.html>
who championed equity issues, school board members in Newberg banning Black
Lives Matter and pride flags
<https://www.opb.org/article/2021/09/15/newberg-school-board-meeting-flag-ban/>,
and the increasing number of race-related titles and programs challenged in
Oregon libraries last year, and in libraries around the U.S.

In the “2021 Annual Report On Challenges to Intellectual Freedom in Oregon
Libraries & Schools”
<https://libguides.osl.state.or.us/ld.php?content_id=62746663>, released in
August, there are several examples relevant to the discussion on race and
racism. One library received an anonymous phone call from “a local
educator” about an author program featuring YA authors Jason Reynolds and
Jenny Torres Sanchez. The caller was upset that the library was “promoting
harmful ideas” including the idea “that racism actually exists in America”.
On the other hand, several of the challenges came from patrons or library
staff members who objected to racism in several Dr. Seuss titles
<https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=six-dr-seuss-titles-hurtful-and-wrong-taken-out-of-print-read-across-america-day>,
for example, which came to national attention when the publisher decided to
stop reprinting them.

It will be important to watch this evolving discussion to see how it
impacts school curriculum and challenges to library programs and materials.
Library staff, especially school library workers, may feel pressure to
self-censor when it comes to planning programs or buying books about topics
related to race. We will also need to continue to grapple with intellectual
freedom issues related to what to do when books -- whether they are
classics or recently published - contain racist imagery, stereotypes, and
other objectionable content.

References

American Library Association. (2020). Top 10 Most Challenged Books Lists.
Retrieved from
https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10#2019

American Library Association. (2021). Top 10 Most Challenged Books Lists.
Retrieved from
https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10#2020

Goff, M. (2021, August 01). Opinion: Equity initiatives at stake as
conservatives take school board seats. Retrieved from
https://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/2021/08/opinion-equity-initiatives-at-stake-as-conservatives-take-school-board-seats.html

Mervosh, S., & Heyward, G. (2021, August 18). The School Culture Wars: 'You
Have Brought Division to Us'. Retrieved from
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/18/us/schools-covid-critical-race-theory-masks-gender.html

Miller, E. (2021, August 30). Oregon history, civics standards undergo
changes as 'culture wars' rage. Retrieved from
https://www.opb.org/article/2021/08/30/oregon-history-civics-standards-undergo-changes/

Ray, R., & Gibbons, A. (2021, August 13). Why are states banning critical
race theory? Retrieved from
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2021/07/02/why-are-states-banning-critical-race-theory/

Sawchuk, S. (2021, July 14). What Is Critical Race Theory, and Why Is It
Under Attack? Retrieved from
https://www.edweek.org/leadership/what-is-critical-race-theory-and-why-is-it-under-attack/2021/05

Wright, J. (2021, August 19). Oregon school boards grapple with critical
race theory. Retrieved from
https://www.opb.org/article/2021/08/19/oregon-school-boards-grapple-with-critical-race-theory/

Yorio, K. (2021, March 2). Six Dr. Seuss Titles Deemed "Hurtful and Wrong"
Taken Out of Print. Retrieved from
https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=six-dr-seuss-titles-hurtful-and-wrong-taken-out-of-print-read-across-america-day


Miranda Doyle (she/her)
District Teacher-Librarian
Lake Oswego School District
doylem at loswego.k12.or.us
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