Book banning is on the ballot Tuesday — right here in Minnesota

On Tuesday, voters in more than two dozen Minnesota school districts will elect school board members who will decide if their students will have the freedom to read books that tell an honest history of race and racism in America – books like mine.

During my 25 years on the faculty at Macalester College, I have written more than 100 books for high school students. Two years ago, four of them were added to a list of more than 850 books that allegedly violated a new Texas law designed to limit how race-related subjects are taught in public schools. The legislation and others like it, including two bills introduced by Republicans in the Minnesota legislature in 2021, have appeared in red-state legislatures with the goal to combat the so-called spread of critical race theory.

Critical race theory is the idea that racism is embedded in legal systems and is not limited to individuals. It is an academic discipline taught at the university level, but it has become a catch-all phrase on the right to include anything about race taught in public schools.

These proposed new laws often state that a teacher cannot “require or make part of a course” 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.

My book, “Protesting Police Violence in Modern America,” which I wrote in 2021 in response to the murder of George Floyd, does not suggest that one race is inherently superior, nor does it suggest that anyone is inherently oppressive.

Despite this, the 48-page text has an entry on BookLooks.org — the preferred reference website for Moms 4 Liberty and other groups intent on restricting what students may read. Why is this a problem, according to this group of “concerned parents”? On page 27, there is a map with two discussion questions: “This map shows some of the countries around the world where demonstrators protested the death of George Floyd in early June. Why do you think this issue is so important to so many people? What might the map suggest about racism around the world?”

I have no idea why anyone would find this to be a problem. The parents who wrote the list don’t explain why they think students should not have this discussion.

People often ask me why I write books for high school students. The answer is simple: Too many of the college students who have taken my American studies and political science classes were not prepared with the basics. My faculty colleagues who teach calculus do not have to worry if their students will arrive on campus with the proper academic training. But if I teach a course about the Civil Rights Movement, for example, rarely does a student know about Black Americans’ involvement during World War II. This is because few high schools teach this material.

But this basic knowledge of our nation’s past is not just for students who expect to go to college. Many Minnesotans, and people around the world, were shocked by George Floyd’s violent death. For those who knew the story of Emmett Till, however, there was less surprise. And for those who did not learn about the 14-year old’s abduction, torture and lynching in Mississippi in 1955, it was likely not their fault. There are just six books written about Emmett Till for students in grades 4-12.

How can we raise informed citizens, and be informed ourselves, if we cannot discuss the killings of George Floyd and Emmet Till in our schools?

In Minnesota, we like to think we are different. But make no mistake, there are candidates running for school boards in the Twin Cities suburbs who would join the book-banning craze that has hit other states, if given the opportunity.

As we have seen elsewhere, the campaign playbook often involves being a champion of “parental rights.” If you’re wondering who these candidates might be, the voter’s guide from the Minnesota Parents Alliance could be a good place to start. You can also check the candidate round-ups from local news sources, though many candidates refuse to talk to reporters. That’s a clue they’re hiding something.

The challenges and chilling effects that banning books about race and gender have had on teachers in Florida, Texas, Alabama, North Dakota, Iowa and even Wisconsin are real — and damaging to students.

It can happen in Minnesota too, but only if Minnesotans let it happen.