A Sense of Doubt blog post #3139 - More Book Banning in TEXAS over panic about CRT

A Sense of Doubt blog post #3139 - More Book Banning in TEXAS over panic about CRT

Just this share today. Two years old, but I need to get all the censorship posts on my blog.

Thanks for tuning in.

https://www.cbr.com/texas-school-pulls-ya-graphic-novels-critical-race-theory-protest/

Texas School Pulls YA Graphic Novels Over Critical Race Theory Protest

BYKEEGAN PROSSER

PUBLISHED OCT 8, 2021

Texas parents call for an event with children’s book author Jerry Craft to be canceled over claims his graphic novels promote critical race theory.

A speaking engagement featuring celebrated children's author Jerry Craft was recently canceled in Texas and his graphic novels were pulled from school libraries, following complaints from a small group of parents.

Craft, the author of several graphic novels aimed at middle school-aged students, was set to speak virtually at a Katy Independent School District event on Oct. 4. However, The Houston Chronicle reports that the event was quietly canceled after 400 parents accused Craft of promoting critical race theory in his work.

"This petition is to ask KISD administration and superintendent to cancel the Zoom call and stop promotion of these books which are wrought with critical race theory in the form of teaching children that their white privilege inherently comes with microaggressions which must be kept in check,” the petition read in part. "Craft's writings, New Kid and Class Act, are being promoted to the students and their parents without any notice of the overt Critical Race Theory teachings throughout both books."

In addition to canceling the event, the district pulled Craft's book from school libraries and launched an official review. "Pending the outcome of a review committee, school day activities associated with the selection under review are temporarily placed on hold," the KISD said in a statement. "School activities pertaining to selections under review and hosted outside of the instructional day, however, may continue as a formal review process takes place."

The district also shared in the statement that "Katy ISD library books are routinely reviewed through this process" and that students may still read Craft's book outside school district hours if they choose.

Following news that Craft's event had been canceled, several parents spoke out against the decision on the Katy ISD online forum, with one mother writing, "These books are amazing, and it's infuriating to see lies, ignorance, and hate prevent our KISD students from experiencing this author and his works as part of their education." Another parent wrote, "A whopping 444 parents signed the petition…for a district of over 88,000…Seriously?"

Critical race theory is an academic concept based on the idea that race is a social construct, and that racism is a combination of both individual bias and prejudice embedded in legal systems and policies. While the concept is more than 40 years old and aims to help people understand how American racism has shaped public policy, critics consider the concept to be "divisive discourse" that's meant to pit people of color against white people.

Craft's graphic novels are based on the lived experiences of his own two sons and focus in large part on the culture and experiences of present-day Black preteens. His novels have won several literary awards, including the Newbery Medal, the Coretta Scott King Author Award and Kirkus Prize for Young Readers' Literature. Craft has since responded to the ban on Twitter, writing, "???????? Apparently, I'm teaching critical race theory."

Source: The Houston Chronicle

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- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2309.22 - 10:10

- Days ago = 3003 days ago

- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I plan to continue Hey Mom posts at least twice per week but will continue to post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.