ACLU Panel brings banned books to Athens
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) held an event at Avid Bookshop to discuss first amendment rights on Sept. 12 The event primarily focused on book banning and how it impacts minority rights.
The main feature of the event was a panel discussion with Seema Yasmin, a medical doctor turned banned book author, Jameelah Jones, a civil rights influencer, and Sarah Hunt-Blackwell, the Georgia ACLU’s 1st Amendment Policy Advocate.
WORKING TOWARDS REPRESENTATION: Banned book author Seema Yasmin reads from her book, “The ABCs of Queer History” Yasmin left her career as a medical doctor to become an author after becoming frustrated with the lack of LGBTQIA+ education. “It’s important that we are able to read and understand about everyone, as many people as possible,” said Georgia ACLU 1st Amendment policy advocate Sarah Hunt-Blackwell. Photo by Sophie Meile.
The discussion started off with a reading by Yasmin of her banned books “The ABCs of Queer History” and “Unbecoming.” The panelists then discussed their takes on the dangers of banned books and how they affect minority rights.
“Book bans aren’t new. It’s a struggle that has been going on since the beginning of books themselves, but now we’re in a really critical time where the books of certain people, the books that represent certain experiences and perspectives, are really being attacked. It’s important that we are able to read and understand about everyone,” Hunt-Blackwell said.
One of the most pertinent issues they discussed was the blocking of books coming into prisons. This was especially relevant with Avid currently fighting a lawsuit over sending free books to prisoners.
“I am black, I’m a member of the LGBTQ community, I have ADHD, I have autism, and somewhere in the country, books about all of those subjects are being challenged and banned. When a part of your identity is being challenged, it can be a very demoralizing experience,” Jones said after the event.
BRIGHT FUTURE: Attendees filled out cards saying what voting means to them. Many attendees hoped to build a better future for themselves, while others were more focused on the next generations. “It’s important to read banned books and to keep challenging book bans so that people know that they’re cared about. We need everyone, especially young people, to know that the adults in their lives are fighting for them to be who they are,” Jameelah Jones, a social activist, said. Photo by Sophie Meile.
Some of the attendees were also concerned with the prevalence of book bans.
“Banned Books Week has huge importance in my heart as a member of several communities that have been silenced through media that tends to censor communities of color, communities of diverse gender identity and of sexual identity,” Emiliana Korin, a high school student at Athens Academy, said.
The event was a stop on the ACLU’s Know Your Rights bus tour. The free tour hopes to educate voters across the swing states of Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, and Pennsylvania over the next few weeks. The next Georgia event will be held in Atlanta on Sept. 28.
