Published:
Thursday, August 22, 2024
Since the ACLU’s founding, we have staunchly defended the right to free speech and expression, which includes the right to read. ACLU affiliates across the country celebrate Banned Books Week, following this legacy of vigilantly defending the First Amendment and the right to free speech.
Banned Books Week was established in 1982 in response to a surge in attempts to ban certain titles from schools and libraries. Celebrated annually, it brings attention to banned and challenged books and stresses the importance of ensuring these titles remain available to all who wish to read them.
Book bans are again on the rise nationally. According to the American Library Association, attempts to ban books across the country reached an all-time high in 2022. Data from the association also showed that the number of book challenges of unique titles again surged 65% in 2023 — the highest level ever documented. Over 4,200 unique book titles were documented for censorship.
Groups are becoming increasingly organized in their attempts, requesting the censorship of dozens or hundreds of titles at a time. Titles representing the voices and lived experiences of BIPOC and LGBTQIA2S+ individuals made up 47% of the those targeted for censorship.
In response to organized attempts to censor certain perspectives, the Washington State Legislature passed HB 2331 in 2024, making it much harder to ban books in our state.
HB 2331 essentially prohibits Washington schools from banning books solely because they were written by or about members of marginalized groups and protected classes, including Black, Indigenous and other people of color or members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community. This ensures that books cannot be banned on the basis they center marginalized voices or topics, including race, religion, gender identity or sexuality.
The law, which went into effect on June 6, 2024, also requires that any complaint or challenges pertaining to a book or instructional material must be made by a parent or legal guardian of a student who is currently enrolled in the district.
There is power in being able to select what you want to read, and it is essential to have access to different points of view. Readers benefit when they have access to as many titles as possible, even ones they might disagree with.
Book bans are not new, and they will continue in Washington and across the U.S. beyond the recent surge. The ACLU-WA will continue to fight against attempts to create an environment of suppression and fight for your right to think, read and say what you want.
Banned Books Week was established in 1982 in response to a surge in attempts to ban certain titles from schools and libraries. Celebrated annually, it brings attention to banned and challenged books and stresses the importance of ensuring these titles remain available to all who wish to read them.
Book bans are again on the rise nationally. According to the American Library Association, attempts to ban books across the country reached an all-time high in 2022. Data from the association also showed that the number of book challenges of unique titles again surged 65% in 2023 — the highest level ever documented. Over 4,200 unique book titles were documented for censorship.
Groups are becoming increasingly organized in their attempts, requesting the censorship of dozens or hundreds of titles at a time. Titles representing the voices and lived experiences of BIPOC and LGBTQIA2S+ individuals made up 47% of the those targeted for censorship.
In response to organized attempts to censor certain perspectives, the Washington State Legislature passed HB 2331 in 2024, making it much harder to ban books in our state.
HB 2331 essentially prohibits Washington schools from banning books solely because they were written by or about members of marginalized groups and protected classes, including Black, Indigenous and other people of color or members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community. This ensures that books cannot be banned on the basis they center marginalized voices or topics, including race, religion, gender identity or sexuality.
The law, which went into effect on June 6, 2024, also requires that any complaint or challenges pertaining to a book or instructional material must be made by a parent or legal guardian of a student who is currently enrolled in the district.
There is power in being able to select what you want to read, and it is essential to have access to different points of view. Readers benefit when they have access to as many titles as possible, even ones they might disagree with.
Book bans are not new, and they will continue in Washington and across the U.S. beyond the recent surge. The ACLU-WA will continue to fight against attempts to create an environment of suppression and fight for your right to think, read and say what you want.
