Last year in Texas, some people complained about a history book taught in schools. The book teaches of a racist’s history opinions in the U.S. the complaints threatened to scrap the book in schools.
The district school disputed if “Stamped: You, Antiracism and Racism should be banned from the syllabus. Many teachers, community members, and parents signed a petition urging the school to retain the book.
“The Round Rock Black Parents Association” played a significant role in mobilizing the community against banning the book. Ibraham X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds, both black, wrote the book. The book is famous because it won “the national book award for notification” in 2016
The association mobilized the community by organizing groups like “Anti-racists Coming Together” ACT to discuss and support the broad literature of the book in the school’s meetings.
“Taking away that book would have completely whitewashed history, and that’s not what we are for,” said Ashley Walker.
The parents believe that banning the book will lead to a growing community that does not understand its history. Having won an award is an indication that the book is excellent and fit to be taught in schools.
The schools’ trustees agreed to keep the book.
There has been a nationwide campaign to scrapbooks about and by LGBT authors or authors of color. However, black parents are doing everything in their power to challenge the banning of books because of their racial identity.
They are also pushing to have some of the banned books reinstated.
“It’s about kids’ experiences,” she said. “It’s about Black boy joy or Black girl magic, yet, we’re being told it is about critical race theory — just because our kids need to see themselves in these books.”
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