BANNED AID
Part 3: Take Action Against Book Banning!
This summer, we’re taking action to defend banned books. In Part 1, we showed you how to organize an event. In Part 2, you learned some creative ways to theme your event around book banning. Now, let’s add some social action to the party!
HOW TO FIGHT AGAINST BANNED BOOKS
As part of your Banned Books Party, make sure you also plan time in your event for everyone to take action against the banning of books. Below are suggestions for how to take action right now and how to commit to taking action long-term!
Take Action Right Now!
- At Fandom Forward we have partnered with student activists at Texas’s Vandegrift High School. They have formed a banned book club, and they need our support! Write an email to the school’s Governance Team
(governance.team@leanderisd.org) and ask them to include student representation on their reconsideration committee.
Sample Email:
Good Day Governance Team:
I am writing to you to request an update to Policy EF Local to add student representation to reconsideration committees.
By having students added to the committees, they will be able to have a voice in the discussion around which books are allowed in schools. I think it’s important that students are given this opportunity so that everyone on the committee can understand what students gain from these stories and why they want the books back on the shelves.
Thank you,
[Your name]
- Find a school in your area that is suffering from book bans and send an email similar to the one above to the decision makers at that school district.
- Purchase a banned book from an independent bookstore: Show the authors of banned books that we will continue to support them no matter what! Check out our suggested list on Bookshop, a website that sup-
ports local, independent bookstores with every online purchase. - Post on social media about a banned book and advocate for why it shouldn’t be banned: Whether it’s a photo from your camera roll, a poem you were inspired to write, or a piece of art you created, visibility
is such an important part of defending banned books. Show (and tell) us why your favorite banned book shouldn’t be banned! - Report censorship of a banned book: Our friends at the American Library Association have an excellent resource for reporting censorship of books. Visit the ALA website to fill out the information about a book that was banned to raise awareness.
Take Action Long-Term
- Are you inspired by the students at Vandegrift High School? Consider starting your own Fandom Forward chapter and specifically make your chapter a banned books club. Check out our site for how to get started!
- Volunteer at your local library: As a library volunteer, you can encourage supervisors and peers to support banned books and make sure they are available for members of your community.
- Attend one of Fandom Forward’s training sessions this summer! Learn more here.
Additional Resources
Remember, we’re always here to help at info@fandomforward.org for any Book Defenders questions or advice.
If you haven’t seen Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, be sure to check them out!
