Arizona School Censorship Hit by Salvo of Protest from Free Speech Orgs and Educators

[Note: A chronological list of links to AICL's coverage of the shut-down of the Mexican American Studies Department at Tucson Unified School District is here. Information about the national Mexican American Studies Teach-in is here. The best source for daily updates out of Tucson is blogger David Abie Morales at Three Sonorans.]

________________________________________

This is the press release sent out on Monday, January 30, 2012, announcing the Statement in Opposition to Book Censorship in the Tucson Unified School District, dated January 30, 2012.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Joan Bertin Executive Director National Coalition Against Censorship bertin@ncac.org 212-807-6222 x 101 Michael O’Neil Communications Coordinator National Coalition Against Censorship michael@ncac.org 212-807-6222 x 107

Chris Finan President American Booksellers Foundation For Free Expression Chris@abffe.org 212-587-4025 x 301 Amy Long Communications Coordinator American Booksellers Foundation For Free Expression amyl@abffe.org 212-587-4025 x 302

Arizona School Censorship Hit By Salvo of Protest

From Free Speech Orgs and Educators

TUSCON, AZ, January 30, 2012

Dozens of national organizations have joined together to protest the banning of books used for the Mexican American Studies program in the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD). “This is censorship at its most brazen,” said Joan Bertin, Executive Director at the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC). “Officials at the state and local level are responsible for this unacceptable restriction on the educational opportunities of students and their ability to have discussion in school about historical and contemporary events touching on race and ethnicity.

“We call on them to restore the books and the topics for discussion in the district’s classrooms.”

The TUSD board ordered the books removed after State Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal threatened to withhold state funding pursuant to a recently-enacted Arizona law. That law is being challenged in court.

“We do not think the students of Tucson should have to wait for a federal court order to get the education they deserve,” said Chris Finan, President of American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE). “Regardless of the outcome of legal proceedings, this is harming students, whose education should be the primary concern of elected officials.  Instead they are putting politics and ideology ahead of the well-being of young people.”

NCAC and ABFFE have jointly created the Kids’ Right to Read Project (KRRP), which offers support, education, and advocacy to promote the right of young people to read widely and to receive a high quality education that is challenging and relevant.  KRRP provides direct assistance to students, teachers, librarians and others opposing book-banning in schools and communities nationwide, while engaging local activists to promote the freedom to read.

In the shocking case of Tuscon, many national organizations dedicated to education and constitutional rights have organized to speak in one voice, calling on the appropriate authorities to correct what they see as an egregious abuse of power.

The joint statement to Arizona officials, with signatories including representatives from publishers, teachers, civil libertarians, and booksellers from the region, may be viewed at ncac.org and abffe.org.