Banned Books Week will focus on diversity this year. The annual celebration, which calls on readers to fight against censorship by reading works that have been banned, will run from September 25−October 1, 2016.
According to ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, more than half of all banned books are by authors of color or reflect issues of diversity. This year’s Banned Books Week global event will celebrate banned literature and will also deal with why diverse books are disproportionately challenged.
“It’s alarming to see so many diverse voices facing censorship,” stated Charles Brownstein, chair of the Banned Books Week Coalition. “2016’s Banned Books Week is an important moment for communities to join together in affirming the value of diverse ideas and multiple viewpoints. By shining a light on how these ideas are censored, we hope to encourage opportunities to create engagement and understanding within our communities, and to emphasize the fundamental importance of the freedom to read.”
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