Hi folks,
This November, there is no doubt that the upcoming judicial elections will dominate the airwaves and newspaper headlines. While these races are very important in shaping the future course of politics and government in Pennsylvania, the outcomes of November’s school board races will determine the cultural destiny in many of the school districts throughout the commonwealth. At stake is whether educators will be deprived of instructional materials and curricula about subjects such as social justice and climate change.
You have two opportunities to do something about that.
The first is actually happening this Saturday, June 3, at the home of Laura and Ron Siena at 626 W. Upsal Street, beginning at 4 pm. You’ll be able to meet with the Democratic candidates running in the Central Bucks School District, and you will also hear from Lily and Mindy Freeman, a student and parent in the district, about the trials and tribulations of being trans in Central Bucks at the present time. Interested in attending? Sign up here.
The second opportunity is for those who are members of book groups. Consider asking your group to read and discuss one or more of the books listed toward the end of this email. These are taken from booklooks.org (http://booklooks.org/book-reports), an organization connected with Moms for Liberty, which has had success in banning books with racial and LGBTQ+ content from schools and public libraries.
If you choose to read any of these books, you may want to include these questions in your discussions:
1. What is it about the book that someone might find to be offensive?
A. Is there sex or violence in the book that would transcend any redeeming messages that the book might convey?
B. Does the book pose questions that some people might not want answered? Why? If so, are those questions still worth asking?
2. Is there any action that members would be willing to take – either as a group, or as individuals? If so, here are some resources you can use.
A. Use this toolkit to take action against censorship: https://uniteagainstbookbans.org/toolkit/
B. The 2023 Election: This year many school board races will take place in school districts across Pennsylvania. Many resources are available to help determine who is running this November, and where they stand on banning books and other forms of censorship. You can start by going to the Red Wine and Blue Pennsylvania website. Also, you can assure that sensible candidates are elected in two severely impacted school districts this November by clicking on these links to Central Bucks, and Perkiomen Valley.
Thanks,
Coleman
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