Local nonprofit Friends of the Long Beach Public Library has begun preparations for National Banned Books Week 2023, with events taking place nationwide from Oct. 1-7 commemorating the theme of “Let Freedom Read!”
Banned Books Week is an annual week-long event that promotes literary freedoms by bringing together librarians, teachers, students and residents to celebrate equitable access to literature.
The event was first created in 1982 by activist Judith Krug to counteract a movement to ban books deemed “controversial” by select organizations, with one notable controversy resulting in the Island Trees School District vs. Pico Supreme Court case.
In this contentious 1982 case, the Supreme Court ruled on the issue of local school boards removing books from middle school and high school libraries, with the court ruling that public schools could not restrict speech even if they don’t agree with the content.
Since then, banned books have morphed into an element of the national freedom of education movement as book censorship has become a prominent right-wing political topic.
Republican politicians such as Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Florida Governor Ron Desantis have approved measures challenging the existence of books containing depictions of racism, LGTBQ+ content and sexual content in school and public libraries in their respective states.
According to the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom, the list of the most challenged books of 2022 include “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe, “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, “Flamer” by Mike Curato and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky. Reasons for challenges and removal from libraries include sexually explicit content, excessive profanity and depictions of drug use.
The origins of the Friends of the LB Public Library dates back to 1962, when head librarian Blanche Collins opposed a city councilmember who wanted to ban Nikos Kazantzakis’ “The Last Temptation of Christ.”
Refusing to bow to pressure and with vocal community support, the Friends of the LB Public Library was created the following year to fight against local literary censorship.
“I think it’s not judicious of us to let down our guard and think everything’s going to be okay. It’s clearly not if you look at what’s happening in the world.”
Ellen Butler with the Friends of the LB Public Library
Though Long Beach is currently far from the frontlines of the war for literary freedoms, Ellen Butler of the Friends of the LB Public Library is working to raise awareness of this nationwide issue.
“Libraries are for everyone and libraries need to offer a diverse range of materials that are for everyone, so no one group of any kind should be dictating what other people have available to them,” Butler said.
Butler has been a part of the Friends for about 18 years and in recent years, has been devoting her attention to the fight against banned books. She suggested the Friends of the LB Public Library participate in Banned Books Week last year, resulting in a small event in front of local bookstore Page Against the Machine.
This year, the Friends of the LB Public Library are looking to grow their presence, and with an earlier start on planning and a larger volunteer committee, they are incorporating zine making, live music, trivia contests and interactive activities to get younger people involved.
They also plan to pass out flyers with contact information for local representatives and educate community members on the history of banned books.
Though Butler would certainly prefer if the issue of banned books would go away altogether, it seems likely that divisive controversies involving education and literary freedoms will play a pivotal role in the run-up to the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Because of this, she said she believes it’s imperative for the Friends of the LB Public Library to spread awareness rather than stand by and say nothing.
National Banned Books Week was first created in 1982 by activist Judith Krug to counteract a movement to ban books deemed “controversial” by select organizations.
“I think it’s not judicious of us to let down our guard and think everything’s going to be okay. It’s clearly not if you look at what’s happening in the world,” Butler said. “And I definitely want to push back against the kind of censorship that I see, the kind of book banning and the kind of intolerance. The anti-LGBTQ intolerance is just appalling to me.”
The Friends of the LB Public Library currently have four events in the works to celebrate National Banned Book Week, beginning with an event on 4th Street on Sept. 22 and finishing with an appearance at the Bixby Park Farmers Market on Oct. 7.
Depending on how this year’s events go, Banned Book Week festivities throughout the city could potentially expand in the future, Butler said.
To learn more about National Banned Book Week 2023 and the most challenged books in the United States, visit https://bannedbooksweek.org/. Residents can keep up with news related to the Friends of the LB Public Library’s National Banned Book Week events here.
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LGTBQ+ content and sexual content in school should be treated the same a s porn. Its not acceptable for minors. Period. I can’t understand why most people don’t have common sense. It seems to be in short supply. Sex ed should be taught to their children by THEIR parents, not strangers