By Emma Quirk ’26
Features and Photos Editor
On June 10, the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Library Information and Technology Services joined The David Ruggles Center and Odyssey Bookshop at the Sojourner Truth Memorial in Florence, MA to take part in a nationwide demonstration against book bans and to support LGBTQ+ rights.
The rally, titled “Teach Truth: A Protest on Anti-History Education Bills,” was organized by the Zinn Education Project, Black Lives Matter at Schools, and the African American Policy Forum.
The Zinn Education Project promotes the teaching of a “more accurate, complex, and engaging understanding of history than is found in traditional textbooks and curricula,” according to their website. Black Lives Matter at Schools is a “national coalition organizing for racial justice in education,” according to their website. The coalition is “unapologetically Black,” queer and trans-affirming, fighting for racial justice in education. The African American Policy Forum describes itself online as a think tank that “connects academics, activists and policy-makers to promote efforts to dismantle structural inequality.”
All three of these organizations are working for racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights and the teaching of inclusive and accurate history. As book bans and challenges become more prevalent across the United States, these groups are pushing back. PEN America tracked 1,477 instances of book bans during the 2022-2023 school year, affecting “874 unique titles.” These books were largely written by and or about BIPOC people and LGBTQ+ people.
For the past two summers, the Zinn Project, BLM at Schools, and the AAPF have led the “Teach Truth” protest. Educators, students, parents and others gather at historic sites, such as the Sojourner Truth Memorial, to “speak out against anti-history education bills and to make public their pledge to teach the truth,” according to the Zinn Project website.
This year, Mount Holyoke College’s Office of DEI and LITS took the pledge. At the event, Vice President for Equity and Inclusion Kijua Sanders-McMurtry welcomed participants and closed out the morning with an excerpt of writer and activist Amanda Gorman’s poem, “The Hill We Climb.”
Attendees were inspired to attend the protest due to the importance of libraries, teaching history, and concern over book bans. “Having started school in Germany just 20 years after the end of World War II and the Holocaust, I have always been acutely aware of the importance of an honest, critical, and constructive engagement with history to guide our decisions and actions,” Alex Wirth-Cauchon, Chief Information Officer and Executive Director of LITS said. Libraries “play an important role in fostering that engagement.”
Beyond joining to “Teach Truth,” Mount Holyke was one of the first private institutions to sign onto the American Library Association’s Unite Against Book Bans campaign. This organization is meant to “empower readers everywhere to stand together in the fight against censorship,” according to their website. Wirth-Cauchon has also partnered with Joseph Rodio, the director of the South Hadley Public Library, who is headlining the South Hadley Intellectual Freedom Team to stand against book bans in local libraries.
The best ways to combat book bans is “by being informed, critical, and constructively engaged citizens,” Wirth-Cauchon stated.
MHC students can access banned and challenged books through LITS, and anyone can purchase discounted books from the Odyssey Bookstore in South Hadley. The Odyssey sold banned books at the Teach Truth Day of Action and is currently offering a 15 percent discount on 20 of the most commonly banned books this year. More information can be accessed by visiting the store or going to their website.