@natalunasans / natalunasans.tumblr.com
Seattle Public Library is doing this awesome program called Books Unbanned that allows teens and young adults (ages 13-26) access to their collection of e-books and e-audiobooks from anywhere in the USA. All you need to do is fill out a simple form and you get their Books Unbanned card. Please share this information far and wide. I know they're not the only ones to have done this, but the more the merrier!
I guess it wasn’t enough when they targeted Mexican-American, Native-American, and other ethnic studies classes in high schools and ban our books?
The man who proposed this bill, HB2120, is Rep. Bob Thorpe. His website can be found HERE. And you can contact him at 602.926.5219
The man who co-signed the bill is Rep. Mark Finchem. His website can be found HERE. And you can contact him at 602.926.3122
The bill has already received praise and support from other Arizona House republicans. HERE you can find a list of all the members of the House along with their phone numbers and emails.
As someone who has had, and will continue, to face the repercussions of these bills, let me just break it down.
These bills have been introduced by white politicians who want to deny us our history and deny us the celebration of our heritage and art. The main reason they stopped these programs in high schools was because “it made white people look bad.” As a result of their fragility and non acceptance of literal goddamn history, we lost our ethnic studies programs.
This largely targeted Mexican-American classes and Native-American classes and our books were not allowed to be a part of the curriculum as well. Our state and many news outlets simply called this a “book ban,” but it was so much more than that. We were denied our history and our culture in the classroom because it made these white politicians feel sad. And this is the exact same excuse they’re giving out now that they want to extend it to Arizona colleges.
Rep. Bob Thorpe, who proposed this bill, speaks out against these classes and thinks the issues involving race is something of 100-200 years ago. And he’s also going after programs, events, and activities involving gender, religion, political affiliation, social class or other class. And his exact words on the subject is that these classes discriminate and that we should be able to “accurately discuss” these topics under his idea of what’s okay AKA erase history and ignore atrocities if white people are involved.
And again his main point is that these classes discriminate and that’s how he’s presenting it. He’s calling it an anti-discrimination bill and other Arizona legislators on his side support it specifically because of that wording. One even told the news that he hasn’t read the bill and doesn’t know the contents of the bill but he supports anything to do with anti-discrimination.
So spread this information because people MUST know what this really is and what has been happening in Arizona schools for years. They actively silence Black and brown voices and turn us into the enemy.
