Letter to the Editor: Oxford Citizens for Peace and Justice reading challenged books at Books on the Bricks
Leaders in Oxford Citizens for Peace and Justice support local decision-makers combatting book bans, highlighted in previous Oxford Free Press coverage. OCPJ will read passages from banned books at the next Red Brick Friday event.
In a June 13 Oxford Free Press story, Taylor Stumbaugh identified the important efforts of Oxford Area PFLAG, the Talawanda School District, and Oxford Lane Library to maintain titles locally from a wide variety of authors and perspectives. We at Oxford Citizens for Peace and Justice (OCPJ) support the choices being made by local decision-makers. These efforts are increasingly necessary because of bills making their way through the Ohio state legislature: House Bills 556 and 662, both of which are opposed by the Ohio Federation of Teachers. These bills would limit the decision-making power of teachers and librarians and prohibit display and discussion of materials deemed obscene or harmful to juveniles.
For the second year, members of OCPJ will be part of the Aug. 2 Red Brick Friday Books on the Bricks. OCPJ’s focus at the event will be on exhibiting and reading aloud books that have been banned or challenged somewhere in the United States. In 2023, the American Library Association (ALA) documented the highest number of titles targeted for censorship since ALA began compiling data more than 20 years ago. Last year, 4,240 unique titles were challenged, up from 2,571 targeted in 2022. Common reasons given for challenging the availability of children’s, teen and adult books are LGBTQ themes, being sexually explicit or advocating for racial justice. Some of the challenged books are authored by Nobel, National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize winners.
In her story, Stumbaugh quoted local resident Megan Kuykendoll, who is a professor, parent and PFLAG officer. Kuykendoll, according to Stumbaugh, doesn't want her kids to live in a community where public libraries' shelves are devoid of queer identities and LGBTQ representation. ALA statistics show that the #1 challenged book in 2023 was “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe. It has been challenged because of LGBTQ content, and it has been deemed to be sexually explicit.
Come join us Uptown on Aug. 2 at 6:00 pm to see which of your childhood favorites have been challenged or banned, consider yourself lucky to have had access to them growing up and join activists to keep them available now! For more information about OCPJ, visit our website at ocpjohio.org, or email facilitator@ocpjohio.org.
Barbara Ann Caruso, OCPJ Board President, and Ann Fuehrer, OCPJ Facilitator
