Park County School District #6 Holds Book Ban Hearing on Thursday
Written by Andrew-Rossi on May 31, 2022
Park County School District #6’s Educational Resource Complaint Committee will hear the case to remove two “controversial” books from the Cody High School Library.
On Thursday, June 2, the Cody school district’s Educational Resource Complaint Committee will listen to a Park County “complainant” regarding books in the Cody High School Library. The district could remove the books from the shelves if the board thinks it’s appropriate.
The K.E.C. Committee is not an extension of the school board. Instead, the committee is a mix of schoolteachers, administration, and parents. After hearing the evidence, the committee will discuss and decide to keep or ban the books.
The books in question are The Color Purple and How to Be an Antiracist, which directly deal with racism in the United States.
*Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, Alice Walker’s The Color Purple depicts the growing up and self-realization of Celie, an African American woman who overcomes oppression and abuse to find fulfillment and independence. The novel also addresses gender equality. The Color Purple broke the silence around domestic and sexual abuse, narrating women’s lives through their struggle, resilience, and bravery. The book also addresses gender equality.
The Color Purple has received widespread acclaim but has its critics. Many people object to the book’s explicit language and sexual content.
How to Be an Antiracist is a 2019 nonfiction book by American author and historian Ibram X. Kendi, which combines social commentary and memoir. The book discusses concepts of racism and Kendi’s proposals for individual antiracist actions and systemic changes.
Critics say the author asserts that one can only be either racist or antiracist, that there is no in-between. Kendi has also called Donald Trump a racist in the past.
The complainant, who has not been identified, represents a group of residents who want many other books out of the high school.
The R.E.C. Committee hearing won’t be the last about books in the Cody High School library. The complainant says they have a group reading to file complaints against 100 books in the library.
The meeting is not a public forum. The only speakers will be the complainant and District Librarian Jennisen Lucas. However, the meetings are open, and the public is encouraged to attend.
