Over 1,500 books were targeted for censorship in 2021, according to the American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom, more than the association has seen since they first tracked the statistic in 1957.
The majority of those complaints are sourced from parents and community leaders who want children’s books which address gender, race, or sexuality removed from school curricula and libraries. It begs the question: how can children who are shielded from discussing race, sex or gender mature into adults who speak up in the face of workplace discrimination, or advocate for equal pay, or recognize that “Adolph the Wolf” is cousin to “The Cat in the Hat”?
National Banned Book Week is coming up Sept. 18-24, yet the San Diego county library system, with branches planted from Potrero to La Mesa, does not have anything on the calendar to even suggest a celebratory week.
Neither National City nor Chula Vista have any mention of Banned Book Week in their calendars of events. San Diego city’s library system is equally quiet on the subject although they held events related to banned book week in 2021. It’s possible they didn’t plan anything in this transitional year.
Just as possible: the pushback against censorship is presented with a whisper befitting a library. Housing Dear America under the same roof as Survival in Auschwitz opens a conversation about nationalism and humanity which relies on guttural history and current events in place of lofty talking points. The personal narrative of anyone kept in, kept out or kept down is more brutal than any conjured up plot line and has the power to launch a conversation that could change public policy. Shelving those stories laced with profanity next to the ones with more innocent language is a form of inclusion, but also quietly answers braying demands for censorship with a resounding silence. There might not be a long list of events in honor of Banned Books Week but the books themselves are on the shelves in hardcover and e-book formats.
Why give the bullies power?
Instead, Alpine Library Friends Association President Deborah Verfaillie has stated the little used bookstore tucked alongside the county branch library in the relatively conservative neighborhood will feature banned books Sept. 18 through 24. The county library system included “The Magic Fish” among the year’s One Book, One San Diego choices, a graphic novel which is essentially about gender, self-identity and the desperate love of family— the same novel found in Santee, Pine Valley and Lemon Grove was chosen to “bring the community closer together” without ever mentioning banned books. Chula Vista library’s RUTH exhibit is a multimedia gathering of local holocaust survivor stories that circumvent any debate on whether “The Diary of Anne Frank” is appropriate reading. The books themselves are there in place of any question on their value, quietly standing sentry over history and reason, deftly planted so residents can decide for themselves what to read.
In the meantime, the libraries continue with a wide variety of programming for everyone.
• The National City library is hosting a craft class from 6-7 p.m. on Sept. 14.
• Residents are invited to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month from 3:30-5:30 p.m. on Sept. 16 with free books, candy bags, and a bilingual storytime for children.
• Chromebook computers and WiFi hotspots are available for check out to National City library patrons over the age of 18 with a valid library card, government-issued identification card and a signed technology agreement.
• Loteria online is open to players on the third Thursday of every month at the National City library.
Visit www.nationalcityca.gov/government/library for more information.
• Chula Vista City library has a bi-monthly Craftlab meetup where staff mixes science, technology and art for kids’ activities; the next session will be held on Sept. 13 from 4-5 p.m. at Otay Ranch branch library.
• On Sept. 16, teens can drop in to the Otay Ranch branch library for a DIY jibbitz craft session from 4:30-5:30 p.m.
• Bilingual story time is held at the Chula Vista Civic Center every Monday and Thursday, weekly.
• Story time is also held in English at the Otay Ranch branch library every Tuesday and Wednesday. Visit www.chulavistaca.gov/departments/library for detailed information.
• The Bonita-Sunnyside branch county library also offers story time to kids under five every Friday at 11 a.m.
• The Merrie Ukes meets every Tuesday from 10 a.m. to noon at Bonita-Sunnyside library. Beginners are welcome to have fun learning some songs and playing in a group setting.
• The Stitchers, an open group of knitting and crochet enthusiasts who donate their projects to charity, meets Tuesdays, from 2:30-3:30 p.m. at Bonita-Sunnyside library.
• Silver Age Yoga meets every Thursday from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Bonita-Sunnyside library.
• Also at Bonita-Sunnyside library, the chess club, open to all ages and abilities, meets from 4-5 p.m. every Thursday.
• Visit www.sdcl.org for information on these and other San Diego county branch library events happening in August.
You can email Jessica at: jessica@integritynews.us with comments and suggestions.
