At the University of Texas at Austin, faculty and students marched to oppose legislation which recently was passed in the state Senate that could lead to an end of Black and Ethnic Studies, ban diversity, equity and inclusion activities and eliminate faculty tenure.Īt Brown University, professors and students staged a public reading of Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye,” one of the titles that lands most frequently on banned book lists across the country. “It’s meant to name this moment, and these actions we’re seeing, as anti-democratic, anti-intellectual and anti-young people in many ways,” Noliwe Rooks, chair of Africana Studies, said at an event there. The recent protests were as varied as the institutions. To protect all educators, for example, the American Federation of Teachers set up a Freedom to Learn and Teach hotline to report political interference and censorship.

The beginnings of this national movement to defend the freedom to learn is rekindling relationships between college students and civil rights activists and inspiring new ones between college faculty and K-12 teachers and librarians. Opinion: Three little letters that have Florida's Ron DeSantis on the attack 8, 2023 to announce family-focused tax relief for Florida residents.

Ron DeSantis speaks during a news conference at MVP Appliances in Ocala, Fla. The May 3 event brought together people from all walks of life – teachers, professors, librarians, artists, students, civil rights leaders, LGBTQ+ advocates and many others – who affirmed the right to speak, write, read, teach and learn the truth about the nation we live in.įlorida Gov. Last week, thousands of people in nearly 30 states turned out on college campuses and in public libraries, in Zoom and on social media for a National Day of Action. But for the first time, a national movement is beginning to defend the freedom to learn in the United States – and it gives me hope that we can reverse the discrimination and authoritarianism infiltrating our schools. Until just a few days ago, I did not have reason to believe that a significant number of Americans were willing to push back against these attacks on education. Meanwhile, laws against gender-affirming healthcare and anti-trans policies in school bathrooms, locker rooms and playing fields are putting the lives of trans youths at risk. The mere mention of structural racism or gender discrimination or sexuality can potentially cost educators and librarians their jobs. Such measures undermine a healthy and functioning democracy, instilling a climate of fear and self-censorship by teachers, librarians and many university faculty members. Get the print edition from Politics & Prose.Khalil Gibran Muhammad Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project at Harvard Kennedy School

My bondage and my freedom author