Central York High Schoolers Protest Book Bans (Again). Here’s What They Have To Say.

In aboriginal September 2021, earlier astir of the state knew what Moms for Liberty oregon No Left Turn were — some of which were operating — Central York High School successful Pennsylvania was starring the mode successful publication bans. But they weren’t just being leaders successful restricting the First Amendment Rights of students. Students themselves were becoming leaders successful the complaint against publication bans, beginning a protest against the removal of books from the school. The protestation ended when, finally, the territory made concessions.

The students who coordinated the protestation were each portion of the school’s Panther Anti-Racist Union (PARU), a radical founded successful 2021 to prosecute successful anti-racist actions successful the schoolhouse and community. PARU’s instauration is connected diversity, equity, and inclusion. Book bans were not the lone absorption of PARU, though present successful 2023, PARU is stepping up again, protesting different question of publication bans successful their district. Given the books being banned specifically people those with race, gender, and sexuality themes, it is nary astonishment they’re engaged. They’ve been protesting for implicit 2 weeks arsenic of this writing, and they program to not lone proceed done the remainder of the schoolhouse twelvemonth but volition proceed into the caller 1 if the books being banned astatine Central York are not overturned.

“I would accidental that Central York is successful galore ways a microcosm of our state arsenic a whole. We person a precise divers suburban colonisation arsenic we beryllium connected the borderline of the City of York and get galore families moving from Baltimore, DC and NYC,” explained Ben Hodge, 1 of the co-leaders of PARU. “Our territory is 60% White and 40% BIPOC and we person a precise divers community. York County is notoriously a blimpish Republican country but similar galore counties successful PA and crossed the country, has go much ‘purple’ implicit the past fewer predetermination cycles. Unfortunately, our territory was 1 of the archetypal successful the caller publication prohibition trends owed to the utmost close partisanship that came aft 2020.”

Some of the teens protesting present are the aforesaid teens who protested astatine the opening of the 2021-2022 schoolhouse year. Still others person graduated, but person travel backmost to enactment the existent protesters.

Rather than connection an in-depth look astatine the radical and their members, it feels much due to manus implicit this abstraction to the teen protesters themselves. Find beneath their words connected the interaction of publication bans astatine Central York, the mendacious premise of “parental rights,” and what they anticipation some their peers and adults crossed the state understand: this isn’t astir the books. It’s astir the erasure and eradication of radical of colour and queer people.

Because the students are minors, I’ve elected to usage conscionable the archetypal first of their names successful punctuation attribution and successful cases wherever students conscionable included an age, selected a missive to correspond their names. I privation to besides widen a large convey you to Central York module members and PARU sponsors Ben Hodge and Patricia Jackson for coordinating. All photos are courtesy of Hodge and utilized with permission.

“[S]tanding retired determination unneurotic successful solidarity and peacefully protesting helps instrumentality immoderate of the sting distant from the publication bans themselves. It feels similar we are not helpless. We each person a voice. We recognize that we are not unsocial and that it is important to basal unneurotic and talk up against thing that is wrong,” explained Hodge. “One of my favourite moments from this caller circular of protests is seeing these students fastener arms connected their ain inaugural and grin with their heads held precocious arsenic the locomotion successful unneurotic astatine 7:30. There is specified a profound consciousness of camaraderie and solidarity that is beauteous to see.”

If you person not been listening to the adults talking astir the interaction of publication bans, possibly the words of teens volition marque the quality for you and airy the occurrence you request to amusement up to committee meetings, to ballot successful section elections, and to propulsion backmost against the extremism that is successful your ain backyard. Whether you privation to judge it oregon not, it’s section to you, too.

“I decided to protestation the publication bans astatine my schoolhouse due to the fact that it didn’t marque consciousness to me. How did they get determination successful the archetypal spot then? Why present each of a abrupt are they a problem? Literature is however we link with ourselves, and others. The stories lit holds is truthful almighty it tin clasp years of knowledge. That shouldn’t beryllium hidden oregon banned from us.” – Z, 18

“I person a idiosyncratic transportation to books. English was not my archetypal language, truthful erstwhile I yet learned however to read, it felt similar 1 of my biggest accomplishments. I soon recovered haven successful books and it transformed me, mentally and emotionally. Being an Asian American successful a predominantly achromatic assemblage has ever been a conflict for me, but erstwhile the publication prohibition was enforced past year, it changed thing successful maine and made maine recognize that I cannot proceed to clasp my lingua and soundlessness myself from speaking retired astir my opinions. For truthful long, I fto radical marque amusive of my civilization and marque inappropriate comments and jokes astir my ethnicity. The publication prohibition awoke thing successful me, it was similar I yet realized that I person a dependable too. After the quality sources started publishing stories connected the publication bans past year, it truly caught my attraction and I knew that I had to effort and instrumentality a leap forward, to bash thing I would beryllium arrogant of. So, I joined PARU, and it has been 1 of the champion decisions I deliberation I person ever made successful my life.” – A, 16

“I felt arsenic though the banning was unjust. The justification for these books being removed wasn’t acceptable and I wanted to marque definite radical knew that it was this way. We needed to beryllium heard.” –T, 17

“I decided to protestation the publication bans due to the fact that it was wrong. I bash not deliberation immoderate publication should beryllium banned. Every communicative is simply a communicative and it deserves to beryllium read. On apical of that, the territory went the incorrect mode astir doing it.” –T, 16

“I judge nary books should beryllium banned, particularly astatine a precocious schoolhouse level wherever it is imperative that students work a assortment of texts; adjacent those that are challenging. When I heard that they banned these books nether argumentation designed to measure program material, and not autarkic reading, I was shocked. They didn’t person the right, particularly nether the argumentation they wrote. It was important to protestation for our education, the voices of the authors, and for effectiveness of our schoolhouse system.” – C, 16

“Growing up not sheltered from the greatness of diverseness and by radical who enactment equality and equity for each helped maine to admit erstwhile determination are injustices and erstwhile I heard determination was different publication prohibition I knew it was clip to protestation again arsenic we did past fall.” –M, 16

“I decided to protestation the large publication prohibition that Central York placed connected implicit 300+ BIPOC books. This caught my attraction due to the fact that it was hard for maine to judge that each the 300+ books successful this prohibition were ‘bad’ for students to read. The books prohibition highlighted diverseness and inclusion, successful books similar Skin Like Mine by LaTashia M. Perry and Not Quite Snow White by Ashley Franklin.” – C, 18

“I deliberation the adults aren’t listening to the students due to the fact that they don’t judge we are susceptible of reasoning for ourselves. They deliberation we are being ‘indoctrinated’ and are being told what to accidental and deliberation by our teachers. They don’t deliberation we are susceptible of handling much challenging material, and that’s upsetting. They spot america arsenic ‘just kids,’ but our voices matter, particularly erstwhile they are voting connected OUR education.” – C, 16

“The reply is successful the question. They won’t perceive due to the fact that we’re students. They deliberation that we are a radical of bored teenagers looking to commencement problems. That’s not the lawsuit astatine all. We’re simply warring for what we deliberation is right.” – T, 16

“The deficiency of connection betwixt the leaders and our students is the main issue. Adults can’t recognize if they don’t listen. We are a portion of the territory arsenic well.” – T, 17

“I deliberation the crushed wherefore our assemblage has been successful the halfway of publication banning is due to the fact that the individuals that grew up successful a predominantly achromatic nine person grown desensitized to immoderate actions and comments that radical marque that tin beryllium considered racist, homophobic, oregon conscionable highly inappropriate whether it was a gag oregon not. I accidental this due to the fact that determination was a constituent wherever I had been desensitized to it and fto it slide. I tin besides spot it among galore different individuals who person been desensitized to this oregon whitethorn simply consciousness that their dependable does not impact schoolhouse argumentation that much. The deficiency of divers voices, though PARU has made definite this spread is present filled, has played a ample portion successful publication banning. Adults often don’t perceive to students due to the fact that they judge determination is simply a deficiency of knowing oregon maturity from the learners. However, this is not ever true, and I besides consciousness that they conflict to enactment themselves successful the shoes of each students, particularly erstwhile 1 cannot ideate the situations and events that spell connected successful a beingness of a idiosyncratic of colour similar me.” – A, 16

“I be Central and I person since kindergarten. I grew up here. The adults aren’t listening to america due to the fact that they don’t deliberation that we are susceptible of making decisions connected our own. They don’t deliberation we’re developed capable to work this content. They generalize america arsenic children, adjacent though we are of the minimum ages of 15 and the maximum ages of 18.” – Z, 18

“Adults usually don’t perceive to pupil due to the fact that ‘we don’t cognize what we’re talking about.’ We bash cognize what we are talking about. We cognize the quality betwixt close and incorrect and this is wrong. We are not stupid. They person a beauteous large reputation, bully and atrocious (like this). They privation to support their estimation by masking the problems. They don’t privation to look bad.” –N, 14

“I heard astir them during my sophomore year, which was past year. When I heard astir it, I was perfectly shocked. Book banning, to me, felt similar thing that lone came retired of past textbooks; they were a portion of the past, not the present. It felt unreal to cognize that the voices of radical of colour were being silenced and it made maine consciousness similar my dependable was being silenced arsenic well.” – A, 16

“When I heard astir the caller prohibition it came retired done societal media. It was revealed to beryllium much private. I felt arsenic though the books weren’t adjacent disclosed to america this clip due to the fact that our leaders didn’t privation immoderate backlash.” – T, 17

“I heard astir the publication prohibition successful March, I believe. I wasn’t successful the territory erstwhile it happened successful the past, but I had heard astir it. When I heard astir this 1 I was confused. I was wondering, ‘why would they bash this again?’ I was besides upset. It happened months anterior but it was kept a secret. I was upset that they chose to fell it due to the fact that it showed that they knew it was wrong. If it wasn’t, they would’ve been nationalist astir it.” – T, 16

“I heard astir the archetypal publication banning successful 2020 erstwhile our schoolhouse banned implicit 200 books that specifically featured minorities and marginalized communities. I was upset that they were taking distant almighty voices from students, and besides removing practice from our library. Our schoolhouse prided itself connected diversity, but it seemed to consciousness rather the other erstwhile the archetypal prohibition was set.” – C, 17

“I heard astir the publication bans initially past twelvemonth and to beryllium honest, I was conscionable successful axenic shock. When it happened again, I wasn’t arsenic amazed but much truthful disappointed.” – M, 16

“When I archetypal heard astir publication banning successful Central, I was a elder successful the district. I felt fto down by the territory due to the fact that the territory promoted itself connected diverseness and inclusion, yet the books banned WERE astir diverseness and inclusion.” – C, 18

“We’ve been talking astatine committee meetings and expressing our opinions since we recovered out. We began the walk-ins connected Friday, May 5th. We program connected continuing until the books are backmost and the argumentation is fixed. We’re consenting to spell until the extremity of the schoolhouse year. And whether the determination is changed oregon we bash thing different than walk-ins, we’ll proceed implicit the summertime too. We aren’t conscionable going to halt erstwhile schoolhouse ends due to the fact that we’re truthful passionate astir this.” – T, 16

“All of america are determination for a reason, due to the fact that we care. The encouragement we springiness each different to talk up, changes the environment. We are beardown successful numbers, and the much we protestation the much we grow.” – Z, 18

“When Bernice King stepped up to enactment PARU and radical started gathering unneurotic astatine arranged events, it felt similar our voices were being heard. After the publication prohibition was overturned past year, I realized that our voices bash matter, and it felt beyond amazing.

One time, I spoke astatine a committee gathering and it was my 2nd time, but it is inactive highly unnerving. A batch of radical were determination to enactment maine contiguous a code that I wrote successful 10 minutes. The adjacent day, I went into my AP Lang people and my teacher told maine however grateful she was that I spoke astir the publication ban. In that moment, I realized however my dependable not lone represents my ain feelings, but besides the feelings of others.” –C, 16

“Change is being made. When you recognize radical person heard your calls and are consenting to combat with you. It makes it each consciousness worthy it successful the end.” – T, 17

“The enactment we’ve gotten from the assemblage is insane. From radical sharing benignant words connected our societal medias to assemblage members showing up to the committee meetings and showing their enactment to us. It helps america consciousness similar immoderate radical are listening, adjacent if the close ones aren’t. Also, since our walk-ins began, the radical gets bigger each time which makes america consciousness seen.” – T, 16

“It’s been encouraging to spot radical who smile, wave, oregon cheer connected the protests, adjacent if they can’t enactment themselves. We person a batch much allies successful the assemblage than we deliberation we do, and it’s encouraging to spot that travel done successful tiny ways.” – C, 17

“Just the wide assemblage of PARU. Everyone successful PARU is truthful accepting and adjacent astatine 7 successful the greeting we tin person amusive and basal for what we each judge in. I americium not a greeting person, but I can’t assistance but beryllium blessed erstwhile I americium lasting with specified phenomenal people.” – M, 16

“The hardest portion astir protesting is consistency. We person to beryllium astatine the schoolhouse astatine 7 am, adjacent though a batch of america are utilized to arriving astatine astir 7:30 am. What keeps maine motivated personally is the enactment we get from our chap students who amusement up arsenic well.” – Z, 18

“Protesting is hard successful that radical whitethorn marque amusive oregon gag astir the protests. People whitethorn commencement to region themselves from you due to the fact that of it. However, I support myself motivated by staying adjacent to the PARU members arsenic I cognize they volition ever beryllium determination to enactment me.” – A, 16

“Getting up each greeting and not truly seeing contiguous results is petty demoralizing. But the ripples that are created by our protests yet marque it each worthy it successful the end.” – T, 17

“The hardest portion astir this protestation is the frustration. It sometimes feels truthful defeating to beryllium talking and saying the aforesaid things implicit and implicit and not being listened to. I support myself motivated by having a absorption point, I privation to say. We started this due to the fact that of however we felt astir the prohibition and due to the fact that we privation justice. That’s my absorption constituent astatine least. I cognize that we are moving guardant truthful we can’t halt now.” – T, 16

“The hardest portion tin beryllium the different students. Not each students are arsenic unfastened to the protest, and their facial expressions and rude gestures tin beryllium discouraging. However, I cognize that I americium lasting up for what I deliberation is right. I relish successful the information that I americium warring for thing meaningful, and that has fixed maine the courageousness to travel retired each morning.” – C, 17

“The hardest portion is seeing radical who don’t recognize oregon attraction to recognize walk america by. I support myself motivated by looking astir and seeing everyone other with their signs and focusing connected what we bash person and however galore radical bash understand.” –M, 16

“The hardest portion astir protesting is waiting for change. When protesting past year, the territory sent retired an email during our protesting confirming their determination to region the books. I kept motivated by reasoning astir however hopefully the prohibition would beryllium reversed 1 day. I hoped that adjacent if I didn’t spot the reversal of the portion a student, I hoped that aboriginal students who look similar maine would.” – C, 16

“Yes, tons of teachers and unit are supportive but astir are indifferent. Mr. Hodge and Mrs. Jackson person decidedly done an astonishing occupation arsenic good arsenic they are highly supportive and bash everything they tin to marque definite the protests are almighty and peaceful.” – M, 16

“Yes! Mr Hodge and Mrs Jackson person been precise encouraging. Every greeting earlier the protestation they punctual america that our voices matter.” – C, 17

“Yes, truthful galore teachers person been supportive. One of my mathematics teachers was telling maine astir however him and his woman did not hold with the publication bans. Many adults successful the gathering congratulate america and fto america cognize that they’re arrogant of us.” – T, 16

“All of the teachers I person talked astir this contented with person supported my actions. Regardless of wether oregon not they hold with publication bans, they each enactment our close to protestation and are arrogant that we are passionate astir literature.” – Z, 18

“Actually yes they have, substance of information my teacher is taking enactment arsenic well. Along with different teachers who I emotion dearly. One of my teachers saw maine successful the articles talking astir this substance and she came to maine telling maine that I’m doing large things and that she’s proud. She lets maine cognize that she is arrogant of maine beauteous frequently.” – N, 14

“You promote america to learn, to turn and go individuals filled with contented and knowledge. You promote america to beryllium courageous and to beryllium existent to ourselves. Yet, you effort to instrumentality distant our voices erstwhile we effort to basal up for ourselves and erstwhile we privation to work the books that you’ve banned. You accidental our schoolhouse values diverseness but does it really?” – C, 16

“Books don’t endanger lives. They prevention them.” – T, 17

“Books are education. You cannot prohibition acquisition and expect america to beryllium educated. If you were to prime up immoderate of the banned books and work if opening to end, you’d alteration your mind. Ignorance volition support america from moving forward.” – T, 16

“Do not disregard america oregon diminish our intelligence; we are susceptible of escaped reasoning and we merit literate independence.” – C, 16

“The stories successful the books you are banning whitethorn not beryllium your story, and you whitethorn not similar the story, but it is someone’s story, and you cannot instrumentality it from them oregon shield it from everyone else.” – M, 16

“I privation they’d recognize maturation wrong a idiosyncratic comes done constructive speech and learning. How tin we larn if we enactment stagnant successful comfortableness and bash not person a harmless abstraction to larn and, astir importantly, to read.” – C, 16

Book banning isn’t simply taking distant knowledge, it is ripping distant the ideas that the Constitution our American authorities rests on. Book banning rips distant the First Amendment, the state of speech. Authors of colour usage their First Amendment to constitute books connected their idiosyncratic experiences, but past they person their voices silenced.

There are much important things to regulate, to combat for. Books are not deadly. They are thing but deadly. They springiness life: they fto radical cognize they’re not alone, they connection comfort. Just similar the trees they are made from, books respire beingness into the world.” –A, 16

“When books are banned kids and parents rights are violated. Books are acquisition and should beryllium escaped for anyone to read.” – T, 17

“Resources are being taken from kids. When books are taken away, voices are too. Some books are harmless places for students and tin assistance them find things they subordinate to and it needs to stop. You whitethorn deliberation ‘it’s conscionable a publication oregon two, it’s not that serious’ but 2 books crook to three, past four, and past escalates from there.” – T, 16

“Once these publication bannings start, they bash not stop. They volition ever find a mode to prohibition much and much books. If you halt them, they volition effort again, adjacent if that means successful silence. Remain vigilant and combat for what you judge in.” – C, 16

“Books are being banned, sometimes with wrongful policies, and the students are not blessed astir it.” – M, 17

“When books are banned, kids are sheltered, and erstwhile kids are sheltered they are oblivious to problems and scenarios they are bound to look successful the existent world.” – M, 16

“Books are almighty tools. They tin assistance a idiosyncratic heal, foster growth, supply representation, educate, and inspire. Taking distant books limits the tools students person to prosecute successful the world.” – C, 17

“Students are astatine stake. We larn less, we suffer resources, we suffer the quality to subordinate situations and make connections to idiosyncratic else.” – T, 16

“The accidental to larn is astatine stake. We person to recognize that taking distant books doesn’t support anyone. It conscionable prevents radical from knowing and learning.” – T, 17

“More books being banned, little divers cultures being recognized, much regularisation connected musicals, plays, different areas of look wrong our school.” – A, 16

“Stories. Experiences. Connection.” – Z, 18

“The dependable of the authors. The dependable of everyone who adjacent has a antithetic sentiment astir it. Just everyone’s voices.” – N, 14

“Reading has played specified a important relation successful my life. I inactive retrieve the summers I dedicated specifically for reading. I spent my summers holed up successful the room speechmaking section books backmost to back. Every week I would work 7-10 books and would travel backmost anxious for more. If a young learner wants to work and grow their mind, past I deliberation they should beryllium capable to bash so. If I didn’t work each those books backmost then, I don’t deliberation I would beryllium arsenic mature and knowledgeable arsenic I americium now.” – A, 16

“Reading is simply a instrumentality and an experience. It is isolated of the quality experience. That is wherefore it is taught. To instrumentality distant this state is to instrumentality distant isolated of the quality experience.” – T, 17

“I judge successful it due to the fact that it’s educational. To work is to larn and we truly request to measure ourselves if we’re astatine the constituent wherever we’re taking learnings resources for
high schoolhouse children.” – T, 16

“I judge successful the state to work due to the fact that nary 1 too maine oregon my parents should person a time successful the novels I americium speechmaking and sheltering kids from everything volition lone wounded them aft they graduate.” – M, 16

“I judge successful our First Amendment close to the state of code and expression. Books are a written signifier of that.” – C, 18

“Teachers are not indoctrinators. We are connected the aforesaid squad arsenic astir parents. We privation kids to beryllium palmy some successful academics and their idiosyncratic lives. We privation them to inquire, larn and survey hard to make a much cleanable Union. Book bans origin harm to schools due to the fact that the fundamentally erase stories and experiences from existence. Everyone needs to larn however to critically analyse texts that are connected due people level truthful they are prepared to beryllium progressive participants successful nine oregon their post-secondary plans. I would decidedly adhd that I americium NOT a groomer. I americium not a brainwasher. I americium not a weaponizer. I americium an educator. I judge profoundly successful the powerfulness of acquisition to make a much empathetic and conscionable society,” emphasized PARU co-leader Hodge.

“The radical we reason connected these issues tin beryllium frustrating. They haven’t listened to us, nor person they tried to recognize us. But that doesn’t mean they can’t inactive bash what is right. I americium ALWAYS consenting to speech with others and fig retired solutions to issues. The banners of our books person attempted to speech to america but ne'er to listen. And that is wherever we indispensable instrumentality action.” – T, 17

“We person rights. We don’t suffer them erstwhile we measurement ft successful the precocious schoolhouse building. People request to beryllium mindful of that. Adults besides request to larn to perceive to us. We’re the ones attending the school, utilizing the materials, and our voices request to beryllium listened to. Our ideas request to beryllium considered. And we request to halt banning books.” – T, 16

“This procreation is influential and volition not basal idly by erstwhile there’s injustice. The books whitethorn not beryllium backmost yet, but we volition beryllium back, everyday, until they are backmost connected the shelves wherever they belong.” – M, 16

“I recognize parents/guardians and schoolhouse districts judge that definite books should not beryllium work by their students. To that, I accidental that determination should beryllium made by the pupil and/or the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s). To assistance a strategy wherever parents tin capable retired forms of the books they bash not privation students to work should beryllium disposable that mode that students volition not work the books, nevertheless banning books does not halt radical from speechmaking a book; it lone makes radical privation to work the publication to spot wherefore it is banned.” – C, 18