Thread by @PENamerica

🧵A K-8 school in Miami-Dade County recently removed @TheAmandaGorman's The Hill We Climb from elementary school library shelves. They say it’s not been banned, but…

... When you restrict or diminish access to a book, that’s a ban.

Moving the book to middle school shelves means elementary students can’t or won’t get it.

Their access has diminished. (2/x)

The Hill We Climb was widely praised and read at a Presidential Inauguration.

It was moved to middle schools along with @OhReallyRio's The ABC’s of Black History.

This cannot be separated from the wider movement to restrict books by Black authors and about Black history. (3/x)

That this was the result of a challenge by a single person, who vaguely complained that the book promoted indirect “hateful messages” makes this decision all the more problematic.

One person’s complaints shouldn’t determine access for all. (4/x)

What’s happened here exemplifies how there are many ways in which books are being suppressed or restricted in the chilled climate for public ed.

Only SOME of the time does it take the form of a ban by a school board for ALL students.

See our FAQ: pen.org/book-bans-freq… (5/x)

As book bans continue to proliferate, coupled with legislation in #Florida preventing the teaching of certain topics, the campaign to suppress speech is leading decision-makers to err on the side of extreme caution, sometimes in the name of compromise. (6/x)

But compromise that leads to restrictions and removals to satisfy a small minority does a disservice to the education of all.

This is the harmful effect of bogus challenges across public schools in #Florida. (7/x)

Banning @TheAmandaGorman’s poetry is one piece of a much larger, worrisome picture.

Read more: pen.org/press-release/… (8/x)

On May 17, PEN America, @penguinrandom and a diverse group of authors joined with parents in Escambia County, Florida, to file a federal lawsuit challenging unconstitutional removals and restrictions of books from school libraries.

Details: pen.org/pen-america-v-… (9/x)

Help us as we continue to fight book bans, champion the freedom to write—and protect students' rights to read.

Join PEN America as a Reader or Professional member—or make a donation to "Stand With the Banned"—at: pen.org/fightbookbansw…

#IStandWithTheBanned (10/10)

"That objection to @TheAmandaGorman's book is illustrative," @SuzanneNossel tells @chrislhayes. "It's a few lines just scribbled out, the person clearly hasn't read the poem... and that is enough to get a book pulled from the shelves... denying kids the book." #BannedBooks