I Must Speak

I want to start by playing a little game: Guess how many titles in my book collection have been challenged/banned or easily could be.

Ten? 15? 20?

There is never a good or legitimate reason to take information away. It only harms society in the long run. I can already hear the clamoring questions: “Well, what about Mein Kampf? What about The Communist Manifesto? What about, what about, what about?”

What about them? Even texts considered to be problematic or controversial can teach us important lessons. At the very least, you’ll know two words of German from translating the title of Mein Kampf.

If you still have concerns about what children read, here’s a novel idea: be there for them to answer their questions if they have any. There is no shame if you do not know the answer to your child's questions. Simply be honest with them and say, "I don't know the best way to answer your question right now, but we can look for the answer together" or something similar. This is an opportunity for you to learn together. Also, allow their teachers to facilitate guided, open, and honest discussion about the themes and subjects in these works without the constant fear of reprisals hanging over their heads no matter how uncomfortable the topic.

All of this is to say I believe the children in school systems across the country, including the one I grew up in, deserve better representation on the school boards than what they are getting. That was made abundantly clear to me, and frankly the rest of the world, with the notorious banning of Maus by Art Spiegelman in January 2022.

I am both an idealist and a realist. School board seats are up for grabs. The realistic part of me knows how it's going to end because, let’s be honest, it’s hard to make people leave their comfort zones even if those zones are bad for them and change is desperately needed. Reason also tells me I am unlikely to see any progress in my lifetime. However, the idealistic part of me keeps the hope alive that someday down the road things will be better for future generations because kids seem to be more open than adults and willing to accept new ideas and information.