Washington D.C. – People For the American Way today applauded children’s book publisher Scholastic’s reversal of its decision to remove or segregate books at school book fairs. Scholastic had said it would banish books about race, gender or sexuality to a separate section at school book fairs or eliminate the books entirely. Following intense public pressure from groups including People For the American Way, Scholastic has apologized and now says it will not put these books in a separate catalog or section. People For the American Way President Svante Myrick released the following statement:
“The leadership at Scholastic has made the right decision, and we applaud them for putting the well-being of kids ahead of the harmful political agendas of censors and book-banners. At the same time, we have to recognize that the far-right political pressures that Scholastic struggled with have not gone away. Scholastic reports that more than 30 states have introduced or passed laws to ban books about gender and racial diversity in schools. This is unacceptable. We know that most Americans are against book banning and censorship. We are proud to have been among those who raised our voices in strong opposition to Scholastic’s initial decision to accommodate the censors, and we will continue to fight censorship and applaud Scholastic and others when they join us in that fight.”
People For the American Way had launched a petition against the Scholastic policy, which received nearly 8 thousand signatures in its first week.
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About People For the American Way
People For the American Way, a national progressive advocacy organization, inspires and mobilizes community and cultural leaders to advance Truth, Justice and the American Way. We convene courageous Americans, produce compelling media and organize campaigns to defend our democracy from authoritarian threats and advance America’s promise that everyone will enjoy freedom, safety and a vote that counts. Learn more: http://www.pfaw.org