FREEDOM
Definition: the legal right to express one's opinions freely
Toni Morrison.
“The thought that leads me to contemplate with dread the erasure of other voices, of unwritten novels, poems whispered or swallowed for fear of being overheard by the wrong people, outlawed languages flourishing underground, essayists’ questions challenging authority never being posed, unstaged plays, canceled films – that thought is a nightmare. As though a whole universe is being described in invisible ink.”
Pulitzer Prize–winning author Toni Morrison was no stranger to being at the top of literary awards, honors, and respectable lists. [Her novels also happen to be some of the most banned books in the United States]. Her novel The Bluest Eye was listed as the tenth most banned book from 2010--2019 by the American Literary Association.
Morrison’s consistent pushback on censorship came from a place far deeper than just being a writer. “...You have to understand that I come from a race of people for whom at one time in the country it was illegal to be taught to read,” she says. “It was illegal and punishable, by physical punishment and sometimes fatal punishment, to learn how to read.”
What stories do students miss out on if censorship continues?
Amanda Gorman
Amanda Gorman’s “The Hill We Climb,” which was recited at President Biden’s inauguration, discusses a divided America that, once unified, will be what it’s always tried to be. It was restricted from a Florida school in May 2023.
Nina Simone
Nina Simone’s song “Mississippi Goddamn” was the singer’s response to various racially motivated murders and soon became a Civil Rights anthem. It was banned in several southern states upon its release in 1964.
JAmes Baldwin
Author James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time offered readers a commentary on life as a Black person in America and racism, as well as what an America that overcomes this could look like. It was released in 1963 and still finds itself on banned book lists across America to this day.
celicia Cruz
Known to many as the “Queen of Salsa,” Cuban-born singer Celia Cruz used her voice to speak out against the Cuban government and Fidel Castro. Her music remains banned in Cuba.
SULWE
Lupita Nyong’o’s debut children’s book, Sulwe, is about a young girl going through the journey of loving herself despite her differences. It was shelved by school boards across Florida and Pennsylvania.