In November, the Kids’ Right to Read Project investigated three times the average number of incidents, adding to an overall rise in cases for the entire year, according to KRRP coordinator Acacia O’Connor. To date, KRRP has confronted 49 incidents in 29 states this year, a 53% increase in activity from 2012. During the second half of 2013, the project battled 31 new incidents, compared to only 14 in the same period last year.
“It has been a sprint since the beginning of the school year,” O’Connor said. “We would settle one issue and wake up the next morning to find out another book was on the chopping block.”
Unsurprisingly, they note that a lot of the challenges seemed to be motivated by reactionary opposition to race and LGBT content. Equally unsurprisingly, at least to me, is that when such opposition is progressive in nature, it’s not censorship, it’s merely speaking out, speaking your mind, making an impact through your opinion, etc.