In March 2022, the Florida State Senate passed Bill 1467, which will "provide for the regular removal or discontinuance of books based on factors specified in the bill, including those removed because of an objection by a parent or resident of the county."
Because of this law, many books written by Black authors and/or that address the Black American experience have been removed from Florida school libraries and classrooms. However, books with Black voices have been censored or banned long before Florida passed this law.
Below is a sample of books written that have been challenged and/or banned nationwide because their work addresses the Black American experience.
Let's support authors who have written banned books. Buy the books or borrow them from your local library. Most importantly, share the books with others. Our voices will not be silenced!
A lush and lyrical biography of Harriet Tubman, written in verse. An evocative poem and opulent watercolors come together to honor a woman of humble origins whose courage and compassion make her larger than life.
This book was banned in some…
Hair Love tells the heartfelt story of an African American father learning to do his daughter’s hair for the first time.
This book won the Oscar for best animated short film in 2020.
This book was banned in some Florida school districts due to…
The bestselling ABC book for families who want their kids to grow up in a space that is unapologetic about activism, environmental justice, civil rights, LGBTQ rights, and everything else that we believe in and fight for."-- Back cover.
This book…
Civil rights activist Ruby Bridges--who, at the age of six, was the first African American to integrate an all-white elementary school in New Orleans--shares her story through text and historical photographs, offering a powerful call to action.
This…
The animating idea of The 1619 Project is that our national narrative is more accurately told if we begin not on July 4, 1776, but in late August of 1619, when a ship arrived in Jamestown bearing a cargo of twenty to thirty enslaved people from…
In a series of personal essays, prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson explores his childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia. From the memories of getting his teeth kicked out by bullies at age five,…
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her…
This program is read by Taye Diggs and features a bonus interview with his son, Walker Diggs. From Taye Diggs and Shane W. Evans comes Mixed Me!, another inspiring audiobook collaboration. Mom and Dad say I'm a blend of dark and light: 'We mixed you…
Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of…
This book is a personal favorite of the librarian creating this list. Everything Toni Morrison has written has once been listed on ALA's top ten banned books list. Today's post humanely, The Bluest Eye, remains in the top 10 for sexual content and…
When independent Janie Crawford returns home, her small African-American community begins to buzz with gossip about the outcome of her affair with a younger man in a novel set in the 1930s South.
Fun fact: for many years, this book wasn't…
Michael is a mixed-race gay teen growing up in London. All his life, he's navigated what it means to be Greek-Cypriot and Jamaican--but never quite feeling Greek or Black enough. As he gets older, Michael's coming out is only the start of learning…
ALA actively advocates and educates in defense of intellectual freedom—the rights of library users to read, seek information, and speak freely as guaranteed by the First Amendment. Intellectual freedom is a core value of the library profession, and…
PEN America tracks book bans and fights censorship in public schools and libraries across the country.
Books are under profound attack in the United States. In the 2023-2024 school year, PEN America counted more than 10,000 book bans in public…
Banned Books Book Club is dedicated to promoting literacy and free
expression through the celebration of banned books. We provide a wide range
of resources for readers and advocates of banned books, including our
virtual monthly book club, lists…
