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Texas school district "postpones" a Black author's visit because parents claim books teach CRT

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Texas school district "postpones" a Black author's visit because parents claim books teach CRT

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katy independent school district 'postpones' a black author's school visit because parents say his books teach critical race theory - cnn

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Texas school district 'postpones' a Black author's school visit because parents claim his books teach critical race theory

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A school district in Texas removed books by an award-winning author from its schools' library shelves and postponed a virtual event he had been invited to because of a complaint that his books promote critical race theory.

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What Critical Race Theory Means and Why It's Igniting Debate

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What Critical Race Theory Means and Why It's Igniting Debate

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Explainer: What ‘critical race theory’ means and why it’s igniting debate

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“Critical race theory,” a once-obscure academic concept, has become a fixture in the fierce U.S. debate over how to teach children about the country’s history and race relations.

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The Freedom to Read Statement from the American Library Association

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The Freedom to Read Statement from the American Library Association

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What is CRT - definition and background from Brittanica 

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What is CRT - definition and background from Brittanica 

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Critical race theory (CRT), the view that race, instead of being biologically grounded and natural, is socially constructed and that race, as a socially constructed concept, functions as a means to maintain the interests of the white population that constructed it. According to CRT, racial inequality emerges from the social, economic, and legal differences that white people create between "races" to maintain elite white interest in labour markets and politics and as such create the circumstances that give rise to poverty and criminality in many minority communities. Though the intellectual origins of the movement go back much further, the CRT movement officially organized itself in July 1989.

Despite the relatively recent appearance of CRT in academia, some scholars have found it a valuable perspective on race and racism in America. CRT launched what many race scholars now take as a commonsense view. CRT scholars hold that the laws and policies in the United States are biased against people of colour, and they have focused their scholarship on demonstrating the ways in which the legal institutions support that bias.

The launch of the CRT movement in 1989 marked its separation from critical legal studies (CLS; the theory established at a conference in 1977 that rethinks and overturns accepted norms and standards in legal practice and theory). Instead of drawing theories of social organization and individual behaviour from continental European thinkers such as G.W.F. Hegel and Karl Marx or psychoanalytic figures like Sigmund Freud as its theoretical predecessors, as CLS and feminist jurisprudence had done, CRT was inspired by the American civil rights tradition through figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and W.E.B. Du Bois, and from nationalist thinkers such as Malcolm X, the Black Panthers, and Frantz Fanon. Being steeped in radical black thought and nationalist thinking, critical race theory advanced theoretical understandings of the law, politics, and American sociology that focused on the efforts of white people (Euro-Americans) to maintain their historical advantages over people of colour.

CRT has spread beyond the confines of legal studies to many other fields, notably women's and gender studies, education, American studies, and sociology. CRT spin-off movements formed by Asian Americans and by Latinos have also taken hold. Latino critical theory (LatCrit) emerged as an organized group in 1995 and has become a forceful movement in CRT scholarship and activism.

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Critical race theory (CRT), the view that race, instead of being biologically grounded and natural, is socially constructed and that race, as a socially constructed concept, functions as a means to maintain the interests of the white population that constructed it. According to CRT, racial

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What is Critical Race Theory? Video by VOA News

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What is Critical Race Theory? Video by VOA News

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Critical race theory (CRT) has become a controversial topic in the United States, as the country wrestles with race, immigration, civil rights and civil conflict. Some states have banned its teaching in classrooms.

CRT maintains that racism is deeply embedded in U.S. policy, law and society, rather than purely individual and personal, as its opponents contend.

CRT asserts that minority groups in the U.S. - or nonwhites - are targeted and disadvantaged by policies created by public officials and lawmakers, such as an uneven distribution of public funds that impact quality of life, education, housing, employment and safety.

Opponents say the theory inappropriately applies conditions in 1700s America - when slavery was a legal, economic tool - to America in 2021. They say today's discussion divides the nation and creates unhealthy conflict. The assertion that white people are racist simply for being white and that they enjoy a privileged status in society spurs animosity among Americans, they say.

Here is a brief look at the debate.
When was the theory introduced?
CRT was first used in academic and legal circles in the 1970s and 1980s to examine emerging identity politics - that is, a politics in which individuals identify with personal characteristics instead of a party or movement. The theory gained prominence in more recent discussions about the mix of modern American society and the strengths and weaknesses in its social fabric.
Why is CRT being revisited today?
Activists, scholars and politicians are reexamining CRT in response to an increase in hate crimes and excessive use of force by police against minorities. Immigration and changing demographics in the U.S. are key to the discussion as the country becomes increasingly diverse.

New statistics released Thursday by the Census Bureau show an increase in diversity that could have wide political ramifications.

By 2045, the U.S. is likely to become "minority white," the Brookings Institution projected in 2018, meaning 49.7% of the population will be white. The remaining population will be 24.6% Hispanic, 13.1% Black, 7.9% Asian and 3.8% multiracial.

And according to the FBI, hate crimes in the United States have risen to their highest level in more than a decade - an increase of 9.7% since 2009.
How is CRT being addressed in education?
As of June, 26 states have limited some or all parts of critical race theory teachings in K-12 public schools. Eight states - Arizona, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Tennessee - have passed bills into law.

"Critical race theory is turning Americans against one another by weaponizing what used to be the fantasies of tenured professors in dimly lit offices of the ivory tower, now transmitting it through colleges of education to teachers who carry it into the K-12 classroom," Lindsey Burke, director of the Center for Education Policy at the Heritage Foundation, wrote in a commentary May 21.

CRT supporters say that unless schools examine racism and other social justice issues, the U.S. will not repair past transgressions such as slavery and discrimination against minorities and will continue to be in conflict.

"Black people are 3.5 times more likely than white people to be killed by police when they are not attacking or have a weapon: George Floyd," wrote sociologist Rashawn Ray, a fellow at the Brookings Institution, in May 2020.

Ray continued: "Black teenagers are 21 times more likely than white teenagers to be killed by police: Tamir Rice and Antwon Rose. A Black person is killed every 40 hours by police: Jonathan Ferrell and Korryn Gaines. One in every 1,000 Black people are killed by police: Breonna Taylor. And, as sobering as these statistics are, they are improvements to the past.

"These statistics are the reason why from Minneapolis to Los Angeles, people are protesting, marching and rioting."

How do educators feel about CRT in schools?
Most schools across the country do not require or urge K-12 teachers to teach critical race theory, and most say they are opposed to adding the academic approach to their course instruction, the Association of American Educators reported in June. Only 11% of teachers surveyed by the AAE said they were required to teach CRT. More than half (60.4%) of 1,136 educators surveyed said they believed the media were paying too much attention to CRT. Fewer than half of respondents (44.7%) were in favor of CRT being an option for educators.

"Critics of CRT sometimes forget that the 'T' stands for 'theory,' meaning it's one idea about how the world works. Students can accept or reject it when it is taught," said Anthony Fargo, First Amendment expert and associate professor at Indiana University.

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Critical race theory (CRT) has become a controversial topic in the United States, as the country wrestles with race, immigration, civil rights and civil conflict. Some states have banned its teaching in classrooms. CRT maintains that racism is deeply embedded in U.S. policy, law and society, rather than purely individual and personal, as its opponents contend.

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What is Critical Race Theory, and Why Is It Under Attack - EdWeek.org

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What is Critical Race Theory, and Why Is It Under Attack - EdWeek.org

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Is "critical race theory" a way of understanding how American racism has shaped public policy, or a divisive discourse that pits people of color against white people? Liberals and conservatives are in sharp disagreement.

In truth, the divides are not nearly as neat as they may seem. The events of the last decade have increased public awareness about things like housing segregation, the impacts of criminal justice policy in the 1990s, and the legacy of enslavement on Black Americans. But there is much less consensus on what the government's role should be in righting these past wrongs. Add children and schooling into the mix and the debate becomes especially volatile.

School boards, superintendents, even principals and teachers are already facing questions about critical race theory, and there are significant disagreements even among experts about its precise definition as well as how its tenets should inform K-12 policy and practice. This explainer is meant only as a starting point to help educators grasp core aspects of the current debate.

Just what is critical race theory anyway?

Critical race theory is an academic concept that is more than 40 years old. The core idea is that race is a social construct, and that racism is not merely the product of individual bias or prejudice, but also something embedded in legal systems and policies.

The basic tenets of critical race theory, or CRT, emerged out of a framework for legal analysis in the late 1970s and early 1980s created by legal scholars Derrick Bell, Kimberlé Crenshaw, and Richard Delgado, among others.

A good example is when, in the 1930s, government officials literally drew lines around areas deemed poor financial risks, often explicitly due to the racial composition of inhabitants. Banks subsequently refused to offer mortgages to Black people in those areas.

Today, those same patterns of discrimination live on through facially race-blind policies, like single-family zoning that prevents the building of affordable housing in advantaged, majority-white neighborhoods and, thus, stymies racial desegregation efforts.

CRT also has ties to other intellectual currents, including the work of sociologists and literary theorists who studied links between political power, social organization, and language. And its ideas have since informed other fields, like the humanities, the social sciences, and teacher education.

This academic understanding of critical race theory differs from representation in recent popular books and, especially, from its portrayal by critics-often, though not exclusively, conservative Republicans. Critics charge that the theory leads to negative dynamics, such as a focus on group identity over universal, shared traits; divides people into "oppressed" and "oppressor" groups; and urges intolerance.

Thus, there is a good deal of confusion over what CRT means, as well as its relationship to other terms, like "anti-racism" and "social justice," with which it is often conflated.

To an extent, the term "critical race theory" is now cited as the basis of all diversity and inclusion efforts regardless of how much it's actually informed those programs.

One conservative organization, the Heritage Foundation, recently attributed a whole host of issues to CRT, including the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, LGBTQ clubs in schools, diversity training in federal agencies and organizations, California's recent ethnic studies model curriculum, the free-speech debate on college campuses, and alternatives to exclusionary discipline-such as the Promise program in Broward County, Fla., that some parents blame for the Parkland school shootings. "When followed to its logical conclusion, CRT is destructive and rejects the fundamental ideas on which our constitutional republic is based," the organization claimed.

(A good parallel here is how popular ideas of the common core learning standards grew to encompass far more than what those standards said on paper.)

Does critical race theory say all white people are racist? Isn't that racist, too?

The theory says that racism is part of everyday life, so people-white or nonwhite-who don't intend to be racist can nevertheless make choices that fuel racism.

Some critics claim that the theory advocates discriminating against white people in order to achieve equity. They mainly aim those accusations at theorists who advocate for policies that explicitly take race into account. (The writer Ibram X. Kendi, whose recent popular book How to Be An Antiracist suggests that discrimination that creates equity can be considered anti-racist, is often cited in this context.)

Fundamentally, though, the disagreement springs from different conceptions of racism. CRT puts an emphasis on outcomes, not merely on individuals' own beliefs, and it calls on these outcomes to be examined and rectified. Among lawyers, teachers, policymakers, and the general public, there are many disagreements about how precisely to do those things, and to what extent race should be explicitly appealed to or referred to in the process.

All these different ideas grow out of longstanding, tenacious intellectual debates. Critical race theory emerged out of postmodernist thought, which tends to be skeptical of the idea of universal values, objective knowledge, individual merit, Enlightenment rationalism, and liberalism-tenets that conservatives tend to hold dear.

What does any of this have to do with K-12 education?

Scholars who study critical race theory in education look at how policies and practices in K-12 education contribute to persistent racial inequalities in education, and advocate for ways to change them. Among the topics they've studied: racially segregated schools, the underfunding of majority-Black and Latino school districts, disproportionate disciplining of Black students, barriers to gifted programs and selective-admission high schools, and curricula that reinforce racist ideas.

Critical race theory is not a synonym for culturally relevant teaching, which emerged in the 1990s. This teaching approach seeks to affirm students' ethnic and racial backgrounds and is intellectually rigorous. But it's related in that one of its aims is to help students identify and critique the causes of social inequality in their own lives.

Many educators support, to one degree or another, culturally relevant teaching and other strategies to make schools feel safe and supportive for Black students and other underserved populations. (Students of color make up the majority of school-aged children.) But they don't necessarily identify these activities as CRT-related.

As one teacher-educator put it: "The way we usually see any of this in a classroom is: 'Have I thought about how my Black kids feel? And made a space for them, so that they can be successful?' That is the level I think it stays at, for most teachers." Like others interviewed for this explainer, the teacher-educator did not want to be named out of fear of online harassment.

An emerging subtext among some critics is that curricular excellence can't coexist alongside culturally responsive teaching or anti-racist work. Their argument goes that efforts to change grading practices or make the curriculum less Eurocentric will ultimately harm Black students, or hold them to a less high standard.

As with CRT in general, its popular representation in schools has been far less nuanced. A recent poll by the advocacy group Parents Defending Education claimed some schools were teaching that "white people are inherently privileged, while Black and other people of color are inherently oppressed and victimized"; that "achieving racial justice and equality between racial groups requires discriminating against people based on their whiteness"; and that "the United States was founded on racism."

Thus much of the current debate appears to spring not from the academic texts, but from fear among critics that students-especially white students-will be exposed to supposedly damaging or self-demoralizing ideas.

While some district officials have issued mission statements, resolutions, or spoken about changes in their policies using some of the discourse of CRT, it's not clear to what degree educators are explicitly teaching the concepts, or even using curriculum materials or other methods that implicitly draw on them. For one thing, scholars say, much scholarship on CRT is written in academic language or published in journals not easily accessible to K-12 teachers.

What is going on with these proposals to ban critical race theory in schools?

The bills are so vaguely written that it's unclear what they will affirmatively cover.

Could a teacher who wants to talk about a factual instance of state-sponsored racism-like the establishment of Jim Crow, the series of laws that prevented Black Americans from voting or holding office and separated them from white people in public spaces-be considered in violation of these laws?

It's also unclear whether these new bills are constitutional, or whether they impermissibly restrict free speech.

It would be extremely difficult, in any case, to police what goes on inside hundreds of thousands of classrooms. But social studies educators fear that such laws could have a chilling effect on teachers who might self-censor their own lessons out of concern for parent or administrator complaints.

The laws could also become a tool to attack other pieces of the curriculum, including ethnic studies and "action civics"-an approach to civics education that asks students to research local civic problems and propose solutions.

How is this related to other debates over what's taught in the classroom amid K-12 culture wars?

The charge that schools are indoctrinating students in a harmful theory or political mindset is a longstanding one, historians note. CRT appears to be the latest salvo in this ongoing debate.

In history, the debates have focused on the balance among patriotism and American exceptionalism, on one hand, and the country's history of exclusion and violence towards Indigenous people and the enslavement of African Americans on the other-between its ideals and its practices. Those tensions led to the implosion of a 1994 attempt to set national history standards.

The culture wars are always, at some level, battled out within schools, historians say.

"It's because they're nervous about broad social things, but they're talking in the language of school and school curriculum," said one historian of education. "That's the vocabulary, but the actual grammar is anxiety about shifting social power relations."

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What Is Critical Race Theory, and Why Is It Under Attack?

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Here's what you need to understand about the academic concept-and how it's portrayed in political circles.

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A Lesson on Critical Race Theory - American Bar Association

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A Lesson on Critical Race Theory - American Bar Association

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Texas House Committee to investigate school districts' books on race and sexuality

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Texas House Committee to investigate school districts' books on race and sexuality

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Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
A Republican state lawmaker has launched an investigation into Texas school districts over the type of books they have, particularly if they pertain to race or sexuality or "make students feel discomfort."

State Rep. Matt Krause, in his role as chair of the House Committee on General Investigating, notified the Texas Education Agency that he is "initiating an inquiry into Texas school district content," according to an Oct. 25 letter obtained by The Texas Tribune.

Krause's letter provides a 16-page list of about 850 book titles and asks the districts if they have these books, how many copies they have and how much money they spent on the books.

His list of titles includes bestsellers and award winners alike, from the 1967 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "The Confessions of Nat Turner" by William Styron and " Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates to last year's book club favorites: " Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women that a Movement Forgot" by Mikki Kendall and Isabel Wilkerson's " Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents."

But race is not the only thing on the committee chair's list. Other listed books Krause wants school districts to account for are about teen pregnancy, abortion and homosexuality, including " LGBT Families" by Leanne K. Currie-McGhee, " The Letter Q: Queer Writers' Notes to their Younger Selves" edited by Sarah Moon, and Michael J. Basso's " The Underground Guide to Teenage Sexuality: An Essential Handbook for Today's Teens and Parents."

Krause, a Fort Worth lawmaker and founding member of the House Freedom Caucus, is running for state attorney general against Ken Paxton. Krause declined to comment and no explanation was given as to how these books were chosen.

Krause sent notice of the investigation to Lily Laux, the Texas Education Agency deputy commissioner of school programs, as well as some Texas school superintendents. His letter did not specify which school districts Krause was investigating.

Krause informs districts they must provide the committee with the number of copies they have of each book, on what part of campus those books are located and how much money schools spent on the books, as well as information on any other book that violates House Bill 3979, the so-called "critical race theory law"designed to limit how race-related subjects are taught in public schools. Critical race theory, the idea that racism is embedded in legal systems and not limited to individuals is an academic discipline taught at the university level. But it has become a common phrase used by conservatives to include anything about race taught or discussed in public secondary schools.

The law states a teacher cannot "require or make part of a course" a series of race-related concepts, including the ideas that "one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex" or that someone is "inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive" based on their race or sex.

School officials have until Nov. 12 to respond. It is unclear what will happen to the districts that have such books.

The letter did not give a specific reason that Krause was launching the investigation, only that "the committee may initiate inquiries concerning any 'matter the committee considers necessary for the information of the legislature or for the welfare and protection of state citizens.'"

Lake Travis Independent School District officials received the letter and are trying to figure out what the next steps are, a spokesperson said. Officials are speaking with other school districts to figure out what this means for them.

State Rep. Victoria Neave, D-Dallas, who is vice chair of the committee, said she had no idea Krause was launching the investigation but believes it's a campaign tactic. She found out about the letter after a school in her district notified her.

"His letter is reflective of the Republican Party's attempt to dilute the voice of people of color," she said.

Neave said she doesn't know what Krause is trying to do but will investigate the motive and next steps.

The TEA and the rest of the Committee on General Investigating members did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston, said it doesn't surprise him that Krause has taken initiative on a conservative item, especially since there is crowded field in the Texas attorney general race.

"He's not well known statewide, and so he needs to put down a pretty tall conservative flag to get notice," Rottinghaus said. "As a political statement, it certainly conveys the clear message that the Republicans are watching."

Rottinghaus said he doesn't recall a time in recent memory when legislatures have taken the role of investigating school districts.

"The monitoring of this definitely is a political statement and so the fact that the legislature is attentive to it definitely implies that they're not going to drop the issue," he said.

Jim Walsh, an attorney, who often represents school districts, pointed out there is nothing in the law that says books must be removed and Krause's investigation also doesn't call for books to be removed. For now, it's up to school districts to decide how they will respond, but what's certain is that it will add more workload to Texas schools that are already struggling from the effects of the pandemic.

Texas State Teachers Association President Ovidia Molina said in a statement that the investigation is a "witch hunt" and that nothing in state law gives lawmakers the right to go after educators.

"This is an obvious attack on diversity and an attempt to score political points at the expense of our children's education," she said.

Krause's investigation comes after several school districts across the state removed books from libraries because of parental outcry.

Earlier this month, the Carroll Independent School District board in Southlake reprimanded a fourth grade teacher who had an anti-racist book in her classroom after a parent complained about it last year.

Then, in a separate incident this month, a Carroll ISD administrator asked teachers to provide materials that presented an "opposing" perspective of the Holocaust in an effort to comply with HB 3979. The law, which comes with little to no guidance, has caused confusion and fear among teachers and administrators, who have seemingly misinterpreted the law.

In the Katy Independent School District, a school removed a book after parents claimed it promoted "critical race theory," which the district later found to be untrue and reinstated the book.
Disclosure: Texas State Teachers Association and University of Houston have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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Texas House committee to investigate school districts' books on race and sexuality

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Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. A Republican state lawmaker has launched an investigation into Texas school districts over the type of books they have, particularly if they pertain to race or sexuality or "make students feel discomfort."

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Jerry's Craft's Response to the news that his books were being challenged in the Katy ISD district

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Jerry's Craft's Response to the news that his books were being challenged in the Katy ISD district

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In October 2021, a local petition to ban books by Newbery Medal-winning author Jerry Craft resulted in the postponement of his appearance in front of a Texas school district. Dissenters claim the book teaches critical race theory and therefore should not be taught in schools. The following is Craft's response to the petition.
A note from Jerry Craft, author of New Kid and Class Act

Many aspects of my life have changed drastically since my book New Kid became the first graphic novel to win the Newbery Medal. But through it all, what has not changed are my goals for my books: helping kids become the kind of readers that I never was; letting kids see themselves on my pages; and showing kids of color as just regular kids.

As an African American boy who grew up in Washington Heights in New York City, I almost never saw kids like me in any of the books assigned to me in school. Books aimed at kids like me seemed to deal only with history or misery. That's why it has always been important to me to show kids of color as just regular kids, and to create iconic African American characters like Jordan Banks from New Kid. I hope that readers of all ages will see the kindness and understanding that my characters exhibit and emulate those feelings in their day-to-day lives.

When I first set out to write and illustrate New Kid, I knew there would be giant hurdles to overcome. But I was confident that I was the right person to create this book, for the simple reason that I had experienced many of the same things my protagonist Jordan Banks had. I wanted to illustrate the things that kids like me had to face on a daily basis-like teachers confusing you with another kid of color, or classmates being afraid to come to your house because they assume you live in a bad neighborhood. These things are a lot for a kid to deal with. Oh, and you still have to get good grades! To counteract these stressful moments, I added elements such as strong values, loving families, very supportive friends, and plenty of humor.

I would like to offer a special thank you to the many teachers, librarians, students, and parents who love and champion my books. You have changed my life, in the same way that I hope to have changed yours. And to my readers and fans around the world who tell me how much they relate to my characters, I can't put into words how much your support means to me.

Sincerely,

Jerry Craft

Jerry Craft is a #1 New York Times bestselling author-illustrator who has worked on numerous picture books, graphic novels, and middle grade novels, including the Newbery Medal-winning graphic novel New Kid and its companion, Class Act. New Kid is also the winner of the Coretta Scott King Author Award and the Kirkus Prize. Jerry is the creator of Mama's Boyz, an award-winning syndicated comic strip. He has won five African American Literary Awards and is a cofounder of the Schomburg Center's Annual Black Comic Book Festival. He received his BFA from the School of Visual Arts and now lives in Connecticut.

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ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom Staff

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In October 2021, a local petition to ban books by Newbery Medal-winning author Jerry Craft resulted in the postponement of his appearance in front of a Texas school district. Dissenters claim the book teaches critical race theory and therefore should not be taught in schools. The following is Craft's response to the petition.

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Freedom to Read is a Right and Must Be Protected - Texas Library Association

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Freedom to Read is a Right and Must Be Protected - Texas Library Association

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You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.

The Texas Library Association (TLA) holds that the freedom to read is a human right, protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. TLA believes that individuals have the right to free inquiry and the equally important right to form their own opinions. Freedom in selecting materials is a necessary safeguard to the freedom to read and shall be protected against irresponsible attempts by self-appointed censors to abridge it.
Therefore, TLA opposes efforts that restrict the freedom to read through banning, removing, or other forms of restricting access to books or other materials.
There has been a substantial increase in censorship activity in Texas, particularly in public schools, due in part to recent legislation passed by the Texas Legislature restricting education related to history and racism.

In Texas, school boards determine policies for each school district, and professional educators follow these policies to determine what reading and instructional materials are selected to support the curriculum.

Libraries have reconsideration policies and procedures in place which have been approved by their governing bodies. It is critically important that these policies and procedures be followed each time a request is made to remove a book or other resource from the library.

Professional librarians receive extensive education and ongoing training to qualify them to develop collections which meet the broad and varied interests and needs of their communities. Collection decisions are not made based on personal likes, dislikes, or beliefs.

Circumventing established reconsideration processes due to media reports or social media outrage results in reactionary decisions that are not in the best interest of the community. A parent has the right to determine what is best for their child, not what is best for every child.

TLA, and our almost 5,000 members, will continue to support and defend the right to read.
Approved by TLA Executive Board, October 26, 2021

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The Freedom to Read is a Right and Must be Protected - Texas Library Association

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The Texas Library Association (TLA) holds that the freedom to read is a human right, protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. TLA opposes efforts that restrict the freedom to read through banning, removing, or other forms of restricting access to books or other materials.

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A Change.org petition put together by citizens to get Jerry Craft's visit reinstated and his book back in the hands of kids

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A Change.org petition put together by citizens to get Jerry Craft's visit reinstated and his book back in the hands of kids

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It has come to my attention that a few uninformed folks in our community seek to block the upcoming visit of Jerry Craft to our schools. We wholeheartedly support their right to have their own children opt out of Jerry's visit, but we do not wish to have our own children excluded by the tyranny of the loud minority. Having no political clout individually, we wish to combine our voices as we communicate with the leaders of our school district and our community in begging them to resist the urge to bow to the uninformed. We believe that it would be a blight on our community if our leaders do not listen. If they do not, we will be content in letting the rest of the world know that ignorance and hatefulness do not reign over the entire Katy community.

We welcome those outside the Katy community who love Jerry Craft. We want everyone to know that we are an extremely diverse community and we do not take lightly the hatefulness of those who see Jerry Craft or his writings as a threat. I will not give their cause a platform by posting their concerns here. Please join with us as we say yes to Jerry Craft.

It is now Thursday morning and we have now reached 1,000 signatures. I am adding a link to a local news story that may help those who don't know the background. I add this link reluctantly as I desire that this petition unite rather than divide those who often disagree on a variety of issues. Though critical race theory is mentioned in the article as the reason some want to cancel Mr. Craft's visit and critical race theory is one of those issues where we disagree, it should not be an issues with regard to Mr.Craft and his books.

Mr. Craft simply illustrates the perspective and perceptions of a black kid in an environment where almost everyone else is white. Much of his writings are based on his personal experience as a kid. His writings seem to be pretty tame compared to what some of the people I know experienced. Most of Mr. Craft's writings seem to be about misunderstandings and stereotypes. Those who object to Mr. Craft either don't understand what they are reading or are superimposing CRT as an issue. It is not.

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Award-winning author speaks to Katy ISD students after CRT controversy

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Award-winning author speaks to Katy ISD students after CRT controversy

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KATY - After canceling a virtual visit by an award-winning children's author earlier this month, Katy ISD went forward with the appearance Monday.

"It was wonderful," said writer and illustrator Jerry Craft, in an exclusive interview with KPRC2′s Syan Rhodes after the event.

Craft was originally scheduled to speak to 4th and 5th graders in Katy ISD on October 4, but the district canceled the event after a petition from parents claimed the books promoted critical race theory.
RELATED: Katy ISD pulls books, cancels author's visit after parents petition claiming subject matter teaches 'critical race theory'
"First, I had to do what everyone else did, I had to Google it to see what it was, but I actually felt bad for the kids," Craft said of learning his novels had become embroiled in the debate over critical race theory.

The district pulled Craft's books, New Kid and Class Act, from library shelves after a parent filed a complaint.

"I was surprised. I was sad to know that some of the kids would not be able to see my presentation and get a chance to read my book," the Newbery Award winner said.

The district said they reviewed the content, deemed it appropriate, and subsequently rescheduled Craft's virtual visit.
SEE MORE: Banned books back on shelves in Katy ISD after parents claimed author was teaching 'critical race theory'
Parents were given the opportunity to opt their kids out of participating.

Craft said his books are all about empathy.

"To see things from someone else's perspective and point of view. It's just a matter of acceptance. I have all different kinds of characters from all over all different ethnicities, and because kids really need to be seen, and that's, that's what my goal is," Craft said. As for the parents who were opposed to his visit: "I think a lot of them just haven't given it the chance. I think if they let their kids read it and talk to their kids, and see their kids light up and read it and reread it and start some actual helpful conversations, I think that a lot of this would have been avoided in the first place," he said.

Kindred Stories, a Black-owned bookstore in Houston's Third Ward, started a GoFundMe account to raise funds to buy 200 copies of the New Kid and Class Act to distribute to teachers and librarians in Texas.

"That's absolutely amazing. That just goes to show people who realize the importance of reading and the importance of kids being seen, you know, it's a much louder voice, and that's the voice that is needed today. So I appreciate everyone who contributed," Craft said.

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Award-winning children's author speaks to Katy ISD students after critical race theory controversy

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KATY - After canceling a virtual visit by an award-winning children's author earlier this month, Katy ISD went forward with the appearance Monday. "It was wonderful," said writer and illustrator Jerry Craft, in an exclusive interview with KPRC2′s Syan Rhodes after the event.

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My podcast with Jerry Craft from last year

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My podcast with Jerry Craft from last year

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Graphic Novels with Pia Ledina & Jerry Craft (1.9) by Misshelved: a podcast for book lovers

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Graphic Novels with Pia Ledina & Jerry Craft (1.9) by Misshelved: a podcast for book lovers

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Maybe you like Marvel. Maybe your kids love Raina Telgeimer's books. No matter what, graphic novels have power... and this week's speakers know that better than most. Welcome to Misshelved, a new bi-weekly podcast from award-winning bookseller Nicole Brinkley. This week, meet independent bookseller Pia Ledina as she chats with award winning New Kid author-illustrator Jerry Craft.

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Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. Typically held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community - librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types - in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.
Banned Books Week 2018 will be held September 23 - 29. The 2018 theme, "Banning Books Silences Stories," is a reminder that everyone needs to speak out against the tide of censorship.
By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship. The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) compiles lists of challenged books as reported in the media and submitted by librarians and teachers across the country. The Top Ten Challenged Books of 2017 are:

T he Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian written by Sherman Alexie
Consistently challenged since its publication in 2007 for acknowledging issues such as poverty, alcoholism, and sexuality, this National Book Award winner was challenged in school curriculums because of profanity and situations that were deemed sexually explicit.

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Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. Typically held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information.

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CT Librarians Brace for "Tsunami" of Book Challenges

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CT Librarians Brace for "Tsunami" of Book Challenges

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Connecticut librarians brace for “tsunami” of book challenges

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Connecticut librarians are seeing an increase in book removal requests. This hour, hear how they’re responding. Plus, the Intellectual Freedom Offices for the American Library Association and Connecticut Library Association weigh in.