(NEW YORK)— A coalition of national and Texas freedom to read advocates, joined by publisher Penguin Random House, today called for the reversal of a decision in Montgomery County, TX, to reclassify from juvenile nonfiction to fiction a celebrated book that presents the Indigenous perspective on European colonization.
In a letter, the groups responded to the decision by Montgomery County Citizens Review Committee to reclassify Colonization and the Wampanoag Story by Linda Coombs, saying it “communicates distrust of material that reflects the truths of our American history. It diminishes the legitimacy of Coombs’s perspective as a member of the Wampanoag Tribe and Indigenous educators who recommend its use.”
The groups include Texas Freedom to Read Project, American Indians in Children’s Literature, We Need Diverse Books, Texas Library Association, FReadom Fighters, PEN America, Penguin Random House, National Coalition Against Censorship, Every Library, and the Authors Guild.
“As Texas parents we object to the actions taken by the Montgomery County Citizens Review Committee to reclassify a nonfiction book to fiction. If this decision is allowed to stand, what will stop the elected officials, or their politically appointed surrogates, from reclassifying other nonfiction books that contain perspectives, facts, or ideas they don’t like or disagree with?” said Anne Russey, co-founder of Texas Freedom to Read Project.
Dr. Debbie Reese, founder of American Indians in Children’s Literature, said: “Books like Colonization and the Wampanoag Story are important to Native kids because they affirm our existence as Native people in the present day. But they’re also for non-Native kids, because those kids are being shaped by the information in books. This country is better off if we all know history in a more informed way. To claim this book is fiction dismisses our perspective and history.”
The group also urged the commission to keep books accessible as they undergo review. Kasey Meehan, director, PEN America’s Freedom to Read Program, said: “The restriction of the children’s book and subsequent reclassification is a threat to the freedom to read and essentially eliminates the opportunity for a young reader to discover and learn the true story of the discovery of the Americas through an Indigenous perspective.”
PEN America has been at the forefront of documenting and defending against the unprecedented rise of school book bans nationwide as well as the spread of educational censorship.
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.
Contacts: Suzanne Trimel, [email protected], (201) 247-5057
Dr. Debbie Reese, American Indians in Children’s Literature, [email protected];
Anne Russey, Texas Freedom to Read Project, [email protected]