Schools banned books about Black life. Black kids are reading anyway.
Christina and Renee Ellis, students at Central York High School, a predominantly white school in Pennsylvania, helped reverse a book ban targeting the work of B
Christina and Renee Ellis, students at Central York High School, a predominantly white school in Pennsylvania, helped reverse a book ban targeting the work of Black authors.
For about a month, the sisters and several of their classmates in the Panther Anti-Racist Union, a student-led racial and social justice advocacy group, protested the challenge after an all-white school board banned diverse educational materials, including a book about Rosa Parks; “Hidden Figures,” a story about Black female mathematicians; and the documentary “I Am Not Your Negro,” about the author and cultural critic James Baldwin.
Dozens of students, parents and educators held brightly colored signs with slogans like “BLM” and “Education is not indoctrination” outside the school. Edha Gupta, one of the organizers, also wrote letters to the editor of the city’s newspaper, while others read excerpts of the banned books on Instagram. Renee said the protests were an important step in holding the district accountable for fostering an inclusive environment for students of color.
The Panther Anti-Racist Union.Panther Anti-Racist Union“We didn’t want history to repeat itself, with hiding history, hiding the experiences of people of color in this country,” Renee said. “We also wanted to make sure that the younger kids underneath got a full education, especially with the murder of George Floyd and the murder of Breonna Taylor and so many other social justice issues in America.”
Christina said it’s crucial for young Black students to see themselves in books.
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