FORBIDDEN FRUIT What's Behind Florida's Attempt to Erase Black History?

By Stephen G. Hall, PhD

Since book bans and censorship are common components of authoritarian governments, we often associate them with the behavior of such regimes as Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. However, they were also a component of Jim Crow America. During the Jim Crow era (c. 1896-1954), it was common for segregationists to ban books that challenged the status quo and promoted the equal treatment of African Americans. Today, however, book bans have taken on a particularly pernicious and problematic aura as they threaten the very foundation of our democracy.

The current round of book bans is an attempt to revisit America’s culture wars. But unlike in the culture wars of the 1980s and 1990s, today’s issues are more deeply politicized, and Republican leaders are enacting strict laws across the country that have essentially made reading certain books prohibited. They are doing so with the belief that American culture consists of a normative set of books that supposedly support patriotism, traditional Christian values, and American family values. More important, added to this seemingly innocuous agenda is the fact that these individuals are hell-bent on promoting a conservative political agenda that favors Republican interests.

What accounts for this latest round of book bans?

What organizations and group are leading the charge? And why have these efforts gained so much support? The origins of recent book bans can be linked to the recent pandemic, the explosion of nationwide protests in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd, the growth of the Black Lives Matter Movement, and the nationwide backlash at the local and state levels against these developments. They can also be considered the tail end or cumulative result of the nation’s rightward turn during the Trump presidency (2017-2021).

Leading this new censorship and banning wave are parents, school boards, state legislatures and conservative action groups emboldened by

Republican gains in state legislatures and a strident anti-black, anti-woman and anti-LGBT agenda. States, including Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Florida, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Utah, have either passed or have legislation on the books to ban certain books. Some have termed this moment as the Ed Scare, which is a new take on the Red Scare—a historical and hysterical fear of Communist infiltration of all facets of the United States government. Interestingly, more than 70 percent of parents nationwide oppose these bans, but a vocal minority has seized control of the bully pulpit and is highly organized and influential in making these changes.

This atmosphere has led to an explosive rise in book bans and censorship. According to PEN America, from July to December 2022, there were 1,477 cases of book banning, which was up from 1,149 in the previous six months. The organization began tracking this trend in 2021 and has documented more than 4,000 instances of book removals.

Interestingly, the banned books are mostly titles by African American authors. Some of the prominent authors who appear on the list include Toni Morrison, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, and contemporary writers such as Ibram X. Kendi and Ta-Nehisi Coates. Other prominent authors and books that have been banned include Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer, Mike Curato’s Flamer, Ellen Hopkins’ Tricks, and Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale

While book bans have become ubiquitous across the country, Florida is ground zero for this activity. It also provides the best example of the convergence of right-wing conservatism and activism. Led by Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida has embarked on legislative measures designed to curtail LGBTA rights and has placed restrictions on what is acceptable to teach in Florida’s schools, colleges and universities. Most recently, he has banned the AP African American Studies course. He has also engineered the takeover of a local college, New College of Florida; replaced most of its board of trustees with state officials; and removed its president. DeSantis is determined to change the landscape of K-12 and higher education in the state.

Book banning and censorship is a dark road on which to embark. Stifling personal and academic freedom is a slippery slope. Not surprisingly, these efforts are being opposed. Just recently, on May 3, various groups sponsored a national teach-in designed to showcase banned books and promote academic freedom. Scholars, teachers and activists sponsored programs nationwide to challenge book banning and censorship and to raise their voices in dissent. They are also organizing to make many of the books on the banned lists more widely available to the public. These efforts are promising and demonstrate that you cannot truly ban ideas. They have a way of bubbling up from under any ban or seal and often prove impossible to stamp out and eradicate.

FLORIDA'S SHAME: A PARTIAL LIST OF BANNED BOOKS

Local School Boards Following in the Path of Nazis, Fascists and Segregationists