Wondering what books the Burbank Public School system is banning?
Let’s start with “To Kill a Mockingbird” followed by “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and “Of Mice and Men.”
Amazingly, several students rose up and started a petition drive to continue having these and several other books that examine or expose racist attitudes as part of the curriculum for the school district. Perhaps there’s a glimmer of hope that the students understand better than the adults a true, teachable moment.
Plenty of district students agree. On Oct. 22, Sungjoo Yoon, a sophomore at Burbank High School, launched a petition to stop what he called a “ban on antiracist books.” As of Nov. 11, more than 2,600 people had signed it. Some 80 students also sent personal statements of protest to district officials.
Yoon, 15, started the petition because he remembered the impact the books had on him. “I didn’t know much about race relations or anything regarding critical race theory when I was younger,” he said, “and when I read ‘Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry,’ that was my first glimpse, and it really did touch me.” He hopes students can continue to have the “breakthrough moment” he did.
You can read the full story here.
