Students rally in downtown Knoxville to defend banned books

Young scholars, parents and staff from the East Tennessee Freedom Schools program marched in downtown Knoxville July 17 to protest literary censorship in public schools and libraries across the country.

The march - part of Children’s Defense Fund’s (CDF) National Day of Social Action - began at the intersection of Gay Street and Union Avenue and proceeded to Market Square. Participants shared their perspectives on censorship and read excerpts from banned books at the event.

Recent legislation in Tennessee has fueled concerns about literary censorship. In May, Governor Bill Lee signed into law an expansion of the “Age-Appropriate Materials Act.”

Opponents fear the new law might exclude the perspectives of marginalized groups in educational materials. The Knox County Schools Board recently revised its library policy to align with the new state law, further fueling debate.

Last year, the East Tennessee Freedom Schools program ignited a heated school board debate that ranged across an array of mostly national partisan issues when the program’s future was in question.

Denise Dean, executive director of East Tennessee Freedom Schools, emphasized the importance of understanding history to avoid repeating its mistakes.

“Sadly, in some ways, it feels like we are repeating some sad parts of our history," Dean said in a news release. "Many of today’s banned books breathe life into some of our country’s most cherished values: the freedoms of speech, the press, and religion. Many of those books also tend to be affirming to young Black and Brown readers.

"These books help our young scholars cultivate the self-love and resilience they will need in a world that too often still treats them as less than.”

The East Tennessee Freedom Schools program has been running in Knoxville for more than six years and offers culturally relevant literacy education to elementary and middle school students at school sites in Knoxville and Maryville. The free six-week summer enrichment initiative is designed to enhance reading, comprehension and critical thinking skills in children from underserved families.

Freedom Schools is a program of the Children's Defense Fund, founded in 1973 by Marian Edelman, the first Black woman admitted to the Mississippi Bar.