Freed Between the Lines: Banned Books Week at King Library

What does it mean to ban a book? What impact does it have on schools, libraries and communities at large? According to Emily Drabinski, former president of the American Library Association (ALA),"a 'book ban' is the removal of a title from a library when someone raises an objection to a library material, program or service." In 1982, the ALA established Banned Books Week to unite readers, educators, librarians and community members in shared support of the freedom to read. The theme this year is "Freed Between the Lines."

San José State's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library is recognizing Banned Books Weekthis year with a series of events, panels, workshops and lectures held virtually and in person from September 22-28. King Library partnered with SJSU's School of Information, the Departments of African American Studies, Humanities, English and Comparative Literature; the SJSU's Pride Center, the San José Public Library, and The Culture Work of Poetry (a student organization) to offer engaging dialogues about everything from quiltmaking tapestries as a metaphor for storytelling to zine writing, artificial intelligence and censorship, comics and the suppression of diverse voices.

SJSU Librarian Estella Inda with collaborators have organized a week-long programhighlighting the importance of giving people access to diverse voices and perspectives, especially those from underserved communities.

"Banned Books Week is important to me because as a youth, I stopped reading when I was not able to find books I could relate to. It took me many years to get back into books and the thought that happening to someone else frightens me. Having access to books with diverse voices rekindled my interest in reading and made me the librarian I am today. Every story deserves to be told!" says Inda.

The week kicks off with a performance byPushcart Prize-nominated poet and spoken word artist Aideed Medina, who brings awareness to past and present day oppression with the suppression of words from marginalized communities through spoken word.

Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing Keenan Norris, who will be offering a lecture and dialogue called "Black and Banned" on September 26, explains that the week highlights two major societal issues.

"The first is the longstanding hostility to free thought, free speech, academic freedom and the life of the mind," Norris says. "This isn't new. Unfortunately, there's always been a deep anti-intellectual, reactionary aspect to the U.S. The second issue is the recent banning of books by and about non-white people and LGBTQ people in K-12 school districts across the country. This is the immediate problem that Banned Books Week brings attention to and attempts to combat."

Carmen Estela Kennedy Saleh, '21 MFA Creative Writing, '26 EdD, African American Studies lecturer at SJSU, is one of the SJSU faculty members hosting an event at the library. On September 25, she will screen the Netflix documentary "Stamped," based on Ibram X. Kendi's best-selling book "Stamped From The Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America," and facilitate a dialogue in King Library 225 about the censorship of diverse voices.

"I hope SJSU students and community members will learn about the historical precedents regarding book banning," she says. "I hope they learn how this is tied to broader, racialized projects that wage educational warfare on students of color. I hope they become uncomfortable in ways that might inspire them to defend literary access and freedom."

Additional workshops and panels include Assistant Professor of Creative Nonfiction Brook McClurg; Associate Professor of Digital Humanities Kim Brilliante Knight; Associate Professor of Creative Writing Keenan Norris; Assistant Professor of English and Comparative Literature Maite Urcaregui; Associate Professor of American Studies and Literature Daniel Lanza Rivers; User Experience Librarian Sharesly Rodriguez; Director of the School of Information Anthony Chow; and Digital Scholarship Librarian Nick Szydlowski.All Banned Books Week events are free and open to the public.

"Academic libraries are important partners in raising awareness of censorship and in promoting intellectual freedom, individual rights to read, open discourse and the access to information," saysMichael Meth, dean of King Library. "When looking at books on the banned book lists, it is apparent that the works that are being targeted are those of marginalized voices, often seeking to further marginalize and limit access to books that critically discuss race, gender, sexuality and other social topics. Through our partnership we affirm our commitment to diversity and free speech.

"Ultimately, our participation in BBW is part of our advocacy for intellectual freedom and intellectual discovery, and helps develop strong diverse communities that represent our society. King Library has a broad mission to serve the San José and SJSU community. We welcome all in our community and as such are firmly committed to intellectual freedom, diverse perspectives, civic discourse, and strongly oppose censorship."

Learn more about Banned Books Week events at King Library.

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