Nineteenth-century German Jewish poet Heinrich Heine wrote in his 1820-1821 play Almansor, "Dort, wo man Bücher verbrennt, verbrennt man am Ende auch Menschen": Where they burn books, they will also ultimately burn people.
In the wake of yesterday's incredible "Internet Blackout" over the disturbing SOPA and PIPA bills, we are left thinking deeply about censorship. Recently, Tucson banned a set of books that represent the diverse community that makes up this country. We at LitWorld are outraged by the actions being taken in Tucson. These books share important lessons, theories, and ideologies, and banning them in school is an injustice to our students. We embrace the diversity of our country, and we believe that all stories have the right to be heard. Our students deserve an education that allows for the representation of a diverse cultural history that reflects the beauty of our multi-ethnic society.
As we officially take a stand against the Tucson book banning, we encourage you, our community, to go out and support the 7 books that are being banned:
Critical Race Theory, by Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic
500 Years of Chicano History in Pictures, edited by Elizabeth Martinez
Message to Aztlán, by Rodolfo Corky Gonzales
Chicano! The History of the Mexican Civil Rights Movement, by F Arturo Rosales
Occupied America: A History of Chicanos, by Rodolfo Acuña
Pedagogy of the Oppressed, by Paulo Freire
Rethinking Columbus: The Next 500 Years, by Bill Bigelow
Please buy copies of these books today, encourage your friends to do the same, and spread the message that book banning is no way to teach our children.
We hope you will stand with us in protecting our students' rights to access these important, groundreaking books that will fuel their education.