How the Brooklyn library is fighting book bans

Books are being banned across the country from schools. So Brooklyn Public Library came up with a plan ...

Transcript

00:00Tonight, the Mukilteo School District has removed the book To Kill a Mockingbird from

00:04their required curriculum for the ninth grade.

00:07The board decided the book, The Hate You Give, should not be part of any lesson plan until

00:12it's fully reviewed by the community and the schools.

00:15I've read most of some of these banned books and I know the messages are so important.

00:30The books and the lessons they are teaching within these books are more so than just words

00:42on a page.

00:43They tell stories.

00:44They tell backgrounds and provide insight on cultures and historical information that

00:49is important for us all to know.

01:03I'm not here to tell you how obscene this book is.

01:05It has made national attention because of its obsceneity.

01:24I believe everyone should have the autonomy to choose and to evaluate if these are the

01:28type of books they want to read and whether they love it and they want to read it a hundred

01:32times over or they read it once and they don't want to pick it up again.

01:38Those lessons will still hold firm to whoever reads them and I believe the ability to choose

01:43and access these books on your own accord should be maintained regardless of the state's

01:51interests.

01:52It talks more about a modern take on racism and police brutality in our country.

01:59It depicts a story of a young girl whose friend dies in an encounter with the police

02:05while they were in a car.

02:06No matter what race you are, no matter what school environment you go to, no matter the

02:11relationship you have with the police, you should read to ensure that you have understanding

02:16and maybe even are incited for change to these systemic issues that people might be facing

02:21across the country.

02:24I think it's sending a message that for the future of the country and for teens now, we're

02:33losing our ability to find that understanding and find that new perspective and find empathy

02:39and through books I believe that's the best way you can do it and through the band I believe

02:44that that ability in teens is going to be lost if we do not do anything to help preserve

02:49it now.

02:54For more UN videos visit www.un.org