OPINION: Banning books limits free speech | Opinion – Red and Black

Book banning, a trend you might have heard about in the news recently, has entered the state of Georgia. You might be wondering why the pernicious practice has come to Georgia and how it could affect you.

Over the last year, Democrats and Republicans reignited debates on issues like free speech and abortion. Unexpectedly, theyve also been fighting over books.

Banning books is nothing new and has been occurring since the inception of the written word. The practice has always been about withholding information a certain group doesnt like and therefore the suppression of literature is a suppression of free speech, which makes the situation dire, and watching it happen in Georgia is disturbing.

In 2021, there was a huge amount of news regarding banned books. In fact, Elizabeth Harris reported in the New York Times, The American Library Association said in a preliminary report that it received an unprecedented 330 reports of book challenges, each of which can include multiple books, [just] last fall. The book crusade shows no signs of stopping.

The books being banned show how politicized this issue has become: Books with themes of race, gender and sexuality comprise the vast majority of the aforementioned ALA report.

These kinds of books can broaden the horizons of young kids, especially those who grow up in homogenized areas where books might be their only experiences with race or gender until they are much older.

Many of the places with an uptick in book banning activity are in the South, a region of the U.S. known for its relative conservatism. You may remember Tennessees recent ban of the book Maus and its subsequent rise to the top of the Amazon bestseller list.

Georgia has seen an increase in book banning as well. Georgia is an extremely politically diverse state and one that flipped Democrat in the previous presidential election, which helps explain why the trend of book banning has caught on here. Some Republicans are fighting for control in any way they can, including banning books that they believe might somehow indoctrinate kids in schools, despite most of the books being banned not being inherently political.

Last month, Forsyth County either removed or transferred a number of books from the district, many of which have themes of sexuality and race. Notably, Georgia Brian Kemp said that removing books is for local schools to decide.

Last month in Cherokee County, a large group of parents was reported to be in an uproar regarding critical race theory, a now-politicized academic movement that aims to examine the intersection of race, law and society in the U.S., and they also seek to rid of books that are deemed sexually explicit.

There is already a bill being debated in Georgia that would ban the teaching of critical race theory in schools as it is, so going so far as to remove all books with themes of race seems not only like extreme overkill but sets a precedent that lawmakers and angry parents can simply ban any book they dont like.

The new social environment of the U.S. that fosters constant political tension is facilitating this issue and others like it in a frightening way.

Fundamentally, this is a free speech issue, regardless of what side of the political spectrum you are on. The power that local and state governments have to ban books is an issue for everyone. Literature should not be repressed by anyone.

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OPINION: Banning books limits free speech | Opinion - Red and Black