Celebrities sign joint letter opposing book bans by school districts

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One hundred seventy-five artists signed an open letter in protest of widespread book bans on the basis of content involving marginalized communities. The letter called on members of the general public to petition against right-wing censorship.

Key Players

LeVar Burton is an actor, director, and host of “Reading Rainbow,” an educational television series that encouraged children to develop an interest and affinity for books. From its first episode in 1983 to its final episode in 2006, “Reading Rainbow” won the Peabody award and 26 Emmy awards, becoming one of the most well-known PBS shows of all time.

MoveOn, formed in 1998, is a progressive political action committee focused on promoting liberal ideology and endorsing left-leaning candidates for political office. It is one of the largest grassroots progressive campaign organizations in the United States, headquartered in Berkeley, California. Rahna Epting has been its executive director since 2019.

Further Details

In a joint letter published on Sept. 19, 2023, with MoveOn, Burton spearheaded a call to action against the book bans of “draconian politicians” in school districts. He reiterated a lifelong commitment to accessible literature and the hope to inspire diverse thinking through the exploration of potentially controversial topics.

“As the former host of Reading Rainbow, I spent over 20 years inspiring millions of people of all ages to discover their love of reading. Now I’m seeing the books we once celebrated being challenged, restricted, and banned,” Burton wrote in the description of his petition on MoveOn’s website.

Bearing the signatures of scores of celebrities — including high-profile figures such as Ariana Grande, Mark Ruffalo, and Sarah Paulson — the letter focuses on attempts to diminish marginalized histories through the censorship of books covering Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) and LGBTQ+ issues. Strongly defying the “restrictive behavior” of book bans in schools, it describes government interference of content consumption choices as “antithetical to free speech and expression.”

PEN America, which advocates for writers, recorded more than 4,000 book challenges and bans in school districts since June 2021.

The joint letter demonstrated concern about the long-term implications of book censorship on the educational community, claiming that “it’s only a matter of time before regressive, suppressive ideologues” will “further their attacks and efforts to scapegoat marginalized communities, particularly BIPOC and LGBTQ+ folks.”

The letter also warned of the danger that censorship could spread to other forms of art, expression, and entertainment if left unaddressed, noting its “chilling effect on the broader creative field.” Prevention of such widespread censorship would have to take place through a unified effort against present book bans, the letter says.

It calls on the public to agree to “use their voice” at the local level. “We must band together, because a threat to one form of art is a threat to all,” it declares.

Included on the long list of celebrity signatories are Idina Menzel, Gabrielle Union, Abigail Disney, Andy Cohen, Judd Apatow, Judy Blume, Margaret Atwood, Padma Lakshmi, Ron Perlman, and Sharon Stone.

Jazz Jennings, an LGBTQ+ rights activist who documented her experiences with identifying as transgender on the TLC series “I Am Jazz,” signed the letter to “empower young readers to embrace their identities and fight for their rights.” Actress Gabrielle Union cautioned that people should not “stand idly by as book bans spread hate and fear,” emphasizing that “our differences must be celebrated, and our children deserve to have resources to explore the fullness of our world.”

MoveOn political action executive director Rahna Epting echoed the sentiment to resist right-wing censorship of diverse perspectives. “We won’t surrender to their extremism. They cannot erase us. We are the majority; we are defiant, and we will prevail,” she said.

Outcome 

MoveOn connects signatories to advocacy opportunities

MoveOn’s website encouraged those who signed the petition to participate in future advocacy events hosted by the organization. 

One of those was MoveOn’s Banned Bookmobile, which engaged in a multi-city tour in Florida during the summer of 2023 to distribute free books that the administration of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis had banned, such as The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, a novel that describes instances of child sexual abuse. MoveOn’s Banned Bookmobile continued distributing free banned books through October.