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Hi there, Today marks the final day of Banned Books Week, an annual event that champions the freedom to read diverse titles and prevent censorship.  Book bans in schools have been on the rise, with dozens of school districts in over 20 states across the country banning hundreds of books from use in classrooms and school libraries.  Teachers are often on the frontlines of working to keep a range of reading materials available to students and exposing their classrooms to diverse worldviews. We talked with two teachers, both of whom helped elect President Obama, about how the rise in objections to certain types of books threatens our students’ education and our democracy as a whole.  Read on to hear about their experiences and get some ideas of how you can get involved, then share your own book recommendations here.  Keith Ferguson Keith Ferguson is a high school Social Studies teacher in Colorado. Before returning to his hometown and becoming an educator, he worked on both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns and served in the Department of Education.  As a Social Studies teacher, he views the issue of banned books as a threat to our democracy and our ability to understand the vast world around us. Some of the books that have been critical in helping Keith and his students understand lives other than their own are currently being challenged in districts across the country.  When he was a teenager, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou had a profound impact on him. Even though his life experience was completely different from Angelou’s, he found many points of similarity to relate to. As a teacher, Keith’s seen the way that books can open up his students’ world, too.  Two of the books many of his students have responded to the most are Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. These books, which he’s noticed students discuss long after they’re read in class, are also being challenged in pockets of the country.   In addition to reading and championing titles like these that expose students to lives unlike their own, Keith suggests communities where books are threatened should come up with other ways to disseminate these texts.  Benjamin Just Benjamin Just worked on President Obama’s reelection campaign in 2012 and now teaches English and History to sixth graders in western Massachusetts.  After seeing the influx of book bans in districts nationwide, Benjamin views those who try to censor books as people who don’t want to be challenged or have difficult conversations, who think that if we ignore difficult subjects, they’ll disappear.  But, as he puts it, “the world is a tremendously large and vibrant place” and if you don’t read about experiences other than your own, you’ve not even scratched the surface of what the world around you has to offer.  One of the books he recommends to young people and adults alike in order to broaden their horizons is The Giver by Lois Lowry, as it goes to the heart of looking at different ways to structure the world.  Benjamin also recommends reading about religions and mythology from around the world because reading other peoples’ stories is a powerful way to understand how those different from us think about and view the world.  Get Involved Now, we want to hear from you! Whether you’re a teacher, a parent, or just a concerned citizen, we can all do our part to protect the flow of information in our democracy.  We’d love to know if you recommend a book that is commonly banned, if there’s one on your reading list, or if there’s another way you’re recognizing Banned Books Week this year.  Click here to share, we’re looking forward to reading your responses.  Thanks for taking the time to recognize banned books with us.  –The Obama Foundation DONATE NOW

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