4 Lawsuits Challenging Book Bans

Nearly 4,000 books have been axed from schools, and Black stories are a frequent target. Now activists are fighting back in court. By Aziah Siid Originally appeared in Word in Black From Texas to Iowa, governors and school boards have sought to restrict access to what kinds of books and& lessons kids are exposed to& in classrooms and libraries.& Through laws passed in Republican-dominated states to an executive order signed by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the bans focus on what conservatives call harmful content — texts and courses that center on issues of race along with sexual or gender identity. Everything from classics like “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison and “The Color Purple,” by Alice Walker, to new classics like Amanda Gorman’s poem “The Hill We Climb,” have been banned or challenged. But nonprofits and free-speech organizations like PEN America and the ACLU have joined forces with some of the largest publishing houses in the U.S. to push back.  With PEN America diligently tracking the amount of banned or challenged books — which is now up to nearly 4,000 —& organizations are using the courts as their primary means to fight book bans and lesson restrictions. Here are...