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The Declaration of Independence states: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed with unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." 1776
The above declaration, where all men are created equal, doesn't mean that our truths and histories are all of equal weight in the United States. Our sharing of our experiences is a testimony to assessing the attributes of the many people who have contributed to the building of this country.
Then why are we banning books about African American history in over a dozen states run by Republican-led State Education boards?
These are the top 8 banned books on African American history and Black authors in the U.S.
1. "Black Reconstruction in America" by W.E.B. Dubois
2. "Roots: The Saga of An American Family" by Alex Haley
3. "Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You" by Ibram X. Kendi, Jason Reynolds
4. "Dear Martin" by Nic Stine
5. "The Bluest Eye" & "Beloved" by Toni Morrison.
6. "Go Tell It On The Mountain" by James Baldwin.
7. "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston.
8. "Native Son" by Richard Wright
Book bans are a form of policy violence to promote anti-Blackness by preventing factually correct Black history and Black experiences in the U.S. from being shared and disseminated. In doing so, it continues to promote racism and prejudice to maintain the status quo of colonizations by Europeans going as far back as the mid-1500s. Book bans also demoralize Black students to force them to conform entirely to a dominant white perspective of what Black folk's lives can be.
A democracy's greatest strength lies in having an educated, discerning public whose members are fully versed in the realities of the world and their country's true history. Education is important because it can equip citizens with the ability to perform civic duties and discern the difference between strong, enlightened, and humane leaders and demagogues who exploit others' emotions for personal gain.
When Americans are prevented from learning about Black, Latino, Asian, and Native Americans, they lose the opportunities to learn about the diverse cultures of the United States. This is crucial to plan, build, and care for our diverse communities in the future.
Without an understanding of our true history, we Americans continue to perpetuate racism, bigotry, misogyny, and violence via physical, emotional, and socio-economic policies. We miss the needed methods to improve our daily lives through succinct communication and planning for our diverse communities.
Book banning by white conservatives prevents our ability to grow as a country. We ignore educating all of our citizens who have this vital promise built into our Declaration of Independence - THAT ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL.
Artist Bio
Christine “Liz” LaRue is a clay artist and illustrationist. She is known for her intricately textured figurative sculptures and emotionally illustrative drawings. Chicago-born, though also raised in Utah and Idaho, Ms. LaRue is of Creole/Cuban descent. Her art has been influenced by her Afro-Latino heritage. Ms. LaRue’s interests have been in pre-Columbian art of the Olmec, Maya of Mexico, Nazca, and Moche face pots of Peru. This also includes the bronze sculptures of the Ife of Nigeria and Tā Moko tattoo art of the Maōri.
Christine Liz LaRue
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