Trouble in Censorville: The Far Right's Assault on Public Education and the Teachers Who are Fighting Back
Trouble in Censorville: The Far Right's Assault on Public Education and the Teachers Who are Fighting Back
by Nadine M. Kalin and Rebekah Modrak
Disobedience Press, 2024
ISBNs
Paper: 978-1-964098-00-5
eISBN: 978-1-964098-07-4 (OA)
eISBN: 978-1-964098-01-2 (standard)
About the Book
From Florida, whose “Don’t Say Gay” law prohibits K-12 instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation, to Texas, which is shuttering libraries in schools, America is in the middle of a far-right war on public education.
Now, for the first time, K-12 educators from across the nation give readers a teacher’s-eye view of the radical right crusade to take down public education, coordinated by well-funded, well-connected far-right political interests. Christian nationalists hell-bent on erasing the line between church and state, white supremacists opposed to a curriculum that teaches the enduring effects of anti-Black racism, political action committees, such as Moms for Liberty, calling for the banning of novels featuring LGBTQ+ people, and profiteers eager to divert taxpayer dollars into private schools are mounting a relentless attack on teachers, the students they serve, and the commitment to public education that is a cornerstone of democracy. “It’s a phenomenal, unprecedented moment that we’re in,” says a librarian, recently retired from her Texas school. “It’s surprising how many people don’t know what’s going on. I talk to reporters who have no idea. And they’re reporters.”
In Trouble in Censorville, public school teachers from states as far-flung as Florida, Texas, Kentucky, New Jersey, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Washington describe, in their own words, being threatened, stalked, doxxed, ostracized, smeared as “pedophiles" and "Marxists," placed on leave, and fired for teaching historical truth and racial justice, supporting LGBTQ+ students and, in one case, for wearing "insufficiently" feminine attire. Their stories bring readers face-to-face with the human cost of these attacks, which range from social isolation to pent-up anger over institutional betrayal to the terrible toll on teachers’ mental and physical health.
And yet, teachers are fighting back. They’re mobilizing colleagues, parents, and community members who share their faith in the freedom to read, the freedom to think critically, the freedom to challenge small-minded provincialism. Their stories of frontline resistance, collected here, provide a battle plan for confronting censorship, rallying support, and mobilizing a grassroots defense of public schools.
Their gripping testimonials are enhanced by a timeline that situates today’s far-right war on public education in the context of American history, moving briskly from Reconstruction to the anti-left and anti-gay fearmongering of the McCarthy era to the Black Lives Matter movement to the Trump presidency.
Terrifying, infuriating, and inspiring, Trouble in Censorville sounds the alarm for a democracy on fire.
Now, for the first time, K-12 educators from across the nation give readers a teacher’s-eye view of the radical right crusade to take down public education, coordinated by well-funded, well-connected far-right political interests. Christian nationalists hell-bent on erasing the line between church and state, white supremacists opposed to a curriculum that teaches the enduring effects of anti-Black racism, political action committees, such as Moms for Liberty, calling for the banning of novels featuring LGBTQ+ people, and profiteers eager to divert taxpayer dollars into private schools are mounting a relentless attack on teachers, the students they serve, and the commitment to public education that is a cornerstone of democracy. “It’s a phenomenal, unprecedented moment that we’re in,” says a librarian, recently retired from her Texas school. “It’s surprising how many people don’t know what’s going on. I talk to reporters who have no idea. And they’re reporters.”
In Trouble in Censorville, public school teachers from states as far-flung as Florida, Texas, Kentucky, New Jersey, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Washington describe, in their own words, being threatened, stalked, doxxed, ostracized, smeared as “pedophiles" and "Marxists," placed on leave, and fired for teaching historical truth and racial justice, supporting LGBTQ+ students and, in one case, for wearing "insufficiently" feminine attire. Their stories bring readers face-to-face with the human cost of these attacks, which range from social isolation to pent-up anger over institutional betrayal to the terrible toll on teachers’ mental and physical health.
And yet, teachers are fighting back. They’re mobilizing colleagues, parents, and community members who share their faith in the freedom to read, the freedom to think critically, the freedom to challenge small-minded provincialism. Their stories of frontline resistance, collected here, provide a battle plan for confronting censorship, rallying support, and mobilizing a grassroots defense of public schools.
Their gripping testimonials are enhanced by a timeline that situates today’s far-right war on public education in the context of American history, moving briskly from Reconstruction to the anti-left and anti-gay fearmongering of the McCarthy era to the Black Lives Matter movement to the Trump presidency.
Terrifying, infuriating, and inspiring, Trouble in Censorville sounds the alarm for a democracy on fire.
About the Author
Rebekah Modrak is a Professor at the Stamps School of Art & Design at the University of Michigan. She is an artist and writer who analyzes and critiques consumer culture, including COVID-era privatization of public education as parents began to refer to teachers as “public servants,” subsidized by their tax dollars and therefore answerable to them as consumers.
Nadine M. Kalin is a Professor in the Department of Art Education in the College of Visual Arts and Design at the University of North Texas. She teaches courses in the areas of curriculum and pedagogy, pre-service art teacher preparation, and socially engaged art and is author of the book The Neoliberalization of Creativity Education.
Nadine M. Kalin is a Professor in the Department of Art Education in the College of Visual Arts and Design at the University of North Texas. She teaches courses in the areas of curriculum and pedagogy, pre-service art teacher preparation, and socially engaged art and is author of the book The Neoliberalization of Creativity Education.
Reviews
"Panic attacks. Debilitating depression. Social isolation. Insomnia, weight gain, hair loss. These are some of the symptoms that 14 public school teachers describe experiencing in Trouble in Censorville, a collection of oral histories that demonstrates the human cost of the campaign against education undertaken by extremists.... But Trouble in Censorville is not a narrative of defeat: the educators it spotlights have garnered support from colleagues, parents, and students, all of whom are fighting back together. The testimonies they share are characterized by resistance and resilience."— Julia Goldberg, PEN America
"Individual firsthand accounts of librarians and teachers who battled censorship. This book describes how 14 teachers and librarians found themselves running afoul of the radical right wing. Many encountered a lack of support from administrators and other teachers and felt isolated because of the challenges. Careers and friendships were changed, and the stress often manifested itself in physical and mental health issues. Few were able to stay in jobs that they previously loved. Reading the heart-wrenching stories of what librarians and teachers are going through, and how their characters and careers are being assaulted, will spark indignation. The contributors discuss going against people who conflate the availability of accurate information and a variety of voices with criminal intent, and who are offended by anything other than their own viewpoint, insisting that no one have access to books that include anything else. The final chapter is a 'Call to Action,' in which the editors share what readers can do to resist attacks on public education and specific tips for various groups, including teachers, administrators, students, and parents. The editors also provide a time line of the attack on public education to give context to current events. VERDICT Highly recommended for all public school librarians, teachers, and school administrators."— Laura Fields Eason, School Library Journal
"Trouble in Censorville: The Far Right’s Assault on Public Education and the Teachers Who are Fighting Back gives voice to teachers who are dealing with the effects of 'a well-funded, well-connected far-right campaign to destroy public education.' Modrak is a prolific artist and writer who analyzes and critiques consumer culture, including the COVID-era privatization of public education as parents began to refer to teachers as 'public servants,' subsidized by their tax dollars and therefore answerable to them as consumers."— University of Michigan STAMPS School of Art & Design News
"If you want to know what the attacks on CRT, 'divisive issues,' and reading materials have felt like from the inside of a school, or simply want a more complete view of how these culture wars have unfolded in education, there’s much to learn from this book."— Peter Greene, Forbes
"Kalin (art education, Univ. of North Texas; The Neoliberalization of Creativity Education) and Modrak (art and design, Univ. of Michigan; Radical Humility) highlight the growing challenges to intellectual freedom in public schools. They provide a succinct timeline of major censorship events in education. Their book gives readers first-person accounts from 14 individuals. Several are award-winning educators whose professional and personal reputations came under fire when they were attacked by far-right groups for addressing topics like race and gender. A couple of themes emerge from their stories: people behind the challenges often do not have children in the districts they target, and organized groups often spread unfounded rumors that the targeted educators are pedophiles or pornographers. As a result, qualified educators are either forced to leave the profession or transferred to positions outside their field of expertise.... VERDICT A timely look at the current state of censorship in American schools and a few ideas to fight against it."— Lydia Olszak, Library Journal
Tags
21st Century, Education, Political Science, United States, History
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