Banning Books in schools can be harmful to marginalized communities

Question

 Banning books in schools often targets marginalized voices and can harm students’ ability to think critically and empathetically. PEN America, a nonprofit organization that tracks censorship, found that over 3,300 books were banned in U.S. schools in the 2022–2023 school year, with a large portion of these books featuring LGBTQ+ characters or themes, and stories about people of color. They argue that this trend disproportionately silences underrepresented voices. American Library Association (ALA) reports a record number of book challenges in 2023, stating that most targeted books address race, gender identity, and sexual orientation. The ALA emphasizes that access to diverse stories promotes empathy and prepares students for life in a diverse society.

https://pen.org/book-bans/index-of-school-book-bans-2022/

https://www.ala.org/bbooks/aboutbannedbooks

Answer 1

https://www.adl.org/resources/article/diverse-and-complex-narratives-cultivate-empathy-and-action

According to research, viewers of TV shows with prominent marginalized characters such as immigrants have viewers with a higher likelihood to stick up for said marginalized groups on social media and in the real world. In 2017, only 7% of new children books were written by black, native, or latino authors. 

In another study, higher support for in-class diversity was correlated with less bullying, and higher empathy. Little is known about the effects of diverse characters in books and their effects on empathy, but these studies would lead one to assume it could be true. 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32643183/

Comments

Your answer about media representation's impact on social attitudes is really interesting . The correlation between TV shows with marginalized characters and increased advocacy is significant. Exploring similar effects in literature, despite the 2017 data on children's books, could offer insights into empathy and bullying reduction. This could promote more inclusive storytelling across media.

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In your response you use a reliable array of sources as well as in-depth further research into the matter you're responding to. Including a separate source from the same site used in the original post may be slightly mislead, and could lead to potential bias as the source is the same.

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All though your response is focused on media and is interesting based on connections the focus should be about the banning of books in schools and how that affects marginalized groups. So because of the banning of books regardless of who writes them is impacting the target subjects about things like race and sexual identity. And with the lack of access to these topics it does not prepare kids for a diverse society.

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I think you did a great job highlighting how TV shows with marginalized characters can encourage empathy and action. The statistics you shared, especially about children’s books, really help to show how representation is lacking

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I think you response was very well thought out and adressed the claim head on. I appreciate you including research that has been done about this subject. Specifically the study on how viewers of TV shows with marganilized characters are more likely to stick up for those in the real world. This helped me understand the positive effects in protecting books with marginilized voices from being banned in schools.

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I really like your answer to this claim, it stays away from the emotional pull of it and is full of good sources.

Answer 2

through my own research of this claim I can conclude that yes, banning books can harm students and their ability to think critically and empathetically. in an article named "book bans don't protect children, they limit learning" written by Sydney Kelley, its explained that there is an unbalanced bias present within these bills that introduce the ideas of book banning's, specially targeting themes of Race, racism, and LGBTQ+ topics.  she states "in an analysis of books banned during the first half of the 2022-2023 academic year, about 26% of banned books address LGBTQ+ topics, and 30% discuss race or racism." within this related article named "banned in the US" in the band content and titles section, the study included a listing of 874 books that show this statistic more spread out including other topics in relation to the book banns, however many of the books overlap with multiple different themes. also within this article it provides the books that were the most banned in the early 2022-2023 year, those totals including, "gender queer", "flamer", "tricks", "the handmaids Tail" etc. , which are all books discussing hard hitting topics such as LGBTQ+, race, trauma, or love, that are all essential topics for a student to learn and be educated about. the banning of these books can hinder the learning process of caring about difficult things that happen in the world. reading for children, about others and different experience from their own can also teach and help kids learn more about empathy and understanding difficult life experiences. it is important to have diversity within the classroom, not just as means of representation, but also using an educational tool to show and represent the diversity and diverse experiences of those around them and the world. without these books discussing different and diverse topics, we are actively stripping children from the important lessons of life. 

https://firstfocus.org/update/book-bans-dont-protect-children-they-limit-learning/

https://newsdetective.org/28814/banning-books-schools-can-harmful-marginalized-communities

https://readingpartners.org/blog/reading-improves-kids-emotional-intelligence-increases-empathy/

Comments

I completely agree with your claim, I thought it was super important how you showed real numbers about the kinds of books that are getting banned. It’s crazy that so many of them are about LGBTQ+ stuff or race. That really shows that it’s not just random, certain groups are being targeted. I also liked that you talked about how a lot of books have more than one theme, so banning one book can cut off a bunch of different lessons at the same time. That’s important for people to realize. I think if students don’t get to read about different people and experiences, it’s way harder to learn and understand what these people are going through.

Answer 3

According to what I found, banning books in schools doesn’t just limit access to stories, it actively harms marginalized communities by silencing their experiences and restricting students ability to engage with diverse perspectives. According to a 2023 nationwide survey conducted by First Book Research & Insights, educators reported that book bans disproportionately affect underserved communities, especially students of color and LGBTQ+ youth. These bans strip away opportunities for students to see themselves represented in literature, which is crucial for building self-esteem, empathy, and critical thinking.

The survey found that teachers in low-income schools felt the impact most. Many said that banned books were often the only ones in their classrooms that addressed race, gender identity, or social justice, topics that resonate deeply with their students. Removing these books doesn’t protect children, it isolates them from the realities of their own lives and the world around them.

Another article from The Science Survey argues that book bans serve the interests of “racist, sexist, and homophobic policymakers,” rather than the well-being of students. It emphasizes that censorship is a political tool used to suppress marginalized voices and maintain systemic inequality

The Impact of Book Bans on Educators and Students

Book Bans and How They Actively Silence the Voices of Marginalized Groups – The Science Survey

Answer 4

I believe that this claim is true, as my research concludes that many of the book bans that have been placed around the U.S. directly target books with stories involving marginalized groups and identities, as well as books with authors of color and LGBTQ+ authors. Research published by PHD graduates from the University of Pennsylvania states that "Authors of color – particularly women of color – were far more likely to be banned compared with white authors. Authors of color wrote 39% of the banned books in our study. Women of color alone penned almost a quarter of them. That’s even though authors of color make up just 10% of U.S. authors and write less than 5% of the most popular books in the U.S." An article published by PBS also states how this kind of censorship of diverse stories is directly targeted towards stories involving sexuality and race, books that have been targeted — largely by conservatives — for topics such as race, gender and sexuality include George M. Johnson's "All Boys Aren't Blue" and Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye."

Sources Used:

https://www.asc.upenn.edu/news-events/news/most-us-book-bans-target-childrens-literature-featuring-diverse-characters-and-authors-color

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/the-most-banned-and-challenged-books-of-2022

Answer 5

Think of this as your investigation log. Answer each question to explain what you discovered and how you got there.
1. Write a brief overall summary of your findings.

The statistics are from two credible organizations, but they both have clear advocacy missions, so their framing should be criticized. The numbers are real, but critics argue that the word "ban" overstates most cases, as most "bans" are temporary removals pending review.
2. What primary sources did you find (e.g., transcripts, videos of politician speeches, tweets from public figures, scientific studies)? For each source, write at least one or two sentences explaining what you learned. Include all links.

https://pen.org/report/book-bans-pressure-to-censor/ This confirms the 3,300+ statistic.

https://pen.org/press-release/new-report-book-bans-spike-by-33-over-last-school-year/ This confirms the claim that these books are being targeted.

https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article/3/6/pgae197/7689238 This is an independent academic study using Pen America's data confirming banned books are disproportional written by POC and feature characters of color.
3. What secondary sources did you find (e.g., newspapers, magazines)? Only use secondary sources if sufficient primary sources are not available. For each source, write at least one or two sentences explaining what you learned. Include all links.

https://www.npr.org/2024/03/14/1238678902/book-bans-libraries-american-library-association-schools Almost half the books challenged in 2023 include LGBTQ themes or deal with race/racism. Consistent with PEN and ALA report

https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/commentary/stop-calling-them-book-bans Addresses the word "ban" compared to what schools may actually be doing, like switching from one book to another, removing an outdated book, a company de platforming a book, etc
4. What potential biases or interests might each of your sources have?

PEN America is a literary and free expression advocacy nonprofit, whose mission is to fight censorship, so it has interest in framing removals as broadly as possible. They count books removed that are "pending investigation" as bans, inflating the numbers

ALA has similar interest in defending library collections and open access; sympathetic to anti-ban position.

Answer 6

PEN America reports that over 3,300 book bans took place in U.S. public schools during the 2022–2023 school year, with many of the banned books featuring LGBTQ+ themes or characters of color. The American Library Association has also recorded an unprecedented number of book challenges lately, often targeting books about race, gender identity, and sexual orientation. These numbers are backed up by both organizations’ published findings. 

When organizations say that book bans "harm students’ ability to think critically and empathetically," they’re expressing an interpretation rather than a strictly measurable fact. Still, this view is supported by educational research, which suggests that reading diverse stories helps students develop empathy and critical thinking. Similarly, the idea that bans "disproportionately silence underrepresented voices" comes from looking at the kinds of books most often challenged, even if it can’t be directly measured. The ALA argues that access to a wide range of literature builds empathy and prepares students for the real world—a position supported by research on literacy and social growth. 

In short, the numbers about book bans are solid and well-documented, while the broader claims about their impact reflect reasonable interpretations based on research and advocacy.

https://pen.org/book-bans/index-of-school-book-bans-2022/

https://www.ala.org/bbooks/aboutbannedbooks

Answer 7

The two sources it leans on are PEN America and the American Library Association. Both of those are credible organizations but it's worth knowing that both of them actively campaign against book bans, so they have a clear stake in how this issue gets framed. That doesn't mean their data is wrong, but it's something you should be aware of when reading it.

The actual numbers behind the claim do hold up though. There's an educational researcher named Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop who makes the core argument here, which is basically that when kids can't find themselves or their experiences in the books they read, it sends a pretty clear message about how little they matter. PEN America's tracking data supports that too, showing that books by authors of color, LGBTQ+ authors, and women are consistently the ones getting pulled from shelves at a much higher rate than others. So the claim itself checks out, you just want to make sure you know who is telling you that and what their motivations are before you take it at face value.