Texas Considers Required Reading List for Schools, Which Includes the Bible; The New York Times, April 7, 2026

Sarah Mervosh, The New York Times; Texas Considers Required Reading List for Schools, Which Includes the Bible

"Texas education officials are considering sweeping changes to English and social studies instruction that would put readings from the Bible on a new state-required reading list for millions of public school students...

A draft of the list, proposed by the Texas Education Agency, outlines more than 200 texts, with widely recognized classics such as “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle for kindergartners, “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L’Engle for seventh graders and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech for eighth graders.

But it also includes passages from the Bible in middle and high school, raising questions about the separation of church and state.

A second proposed list, from Will Hickman, a Republican member of the state board, would require fewer books overall and include biblical passages starting in elementary school.

Supporters say the Bible excerpts, which include the story of David and Goliath from the Old Testament and a meditation on love from First Corinthians, have important literary value...

Democratic members of the state board have criticized the list for a lack of diversity in a state where Hispanic and Black students represent a majority of public school children. The state agency’s version includes texts from Black historical figures such as Langston Hughes and Frederick Douglass, for example, but has relatively few Black and Hispanic authors overall."

Folks Are Uniting Against Book Bans; Word In Black via Michigan Chronicle, October 7, 2024

Word In Black via Michigan Chronicle, Aziah Siid; Folks Are Uniting Against Book Bans

"Mychal Threets, a Black librarian and literary activist with a social media following rivaling that of any influencer, has a message for readers struggling to find themselves on shelves due to conservative-led book bans in public schools and libraries: You have the power to fight back.

“You belong in books, in libraries, in the world, just as you are. You have the freedom to read, to be in books, to see yourselves,” Threets says in a recent Instagram post about why he’s supporting the Freedom to Read Community Day of Action on October 19.

Threets created the post to announce his partnership with the New York Public Library on the Freedom to Read Community Day of Action campaign, an effort to encourage collective action and civic pushback against banning or restricting access to books written by, for, or about people from diverse communities.

The day is a national initiative from the American Library Association and its Unite Against Book Bans campaign, in partnership with Brooklyn, Queens and New York Public Libraries, and the Association for Rural and Small Libraries. The joint effort was started “in response to the wave of book banning and censorship that started gathering momentum in 2020,” according to a press release from the ALA...

Host Your Own Day of Action, But Be Careful

A free event guide and promotion kit walks folks who cares about the issue through how to host their own local Freedom to Read Community Day of Action on Oct. 19. It suggests everything from being ready to answer common questions about book banning to “inviting local community leaders, authors, librarians, or educators who want to share personal stories,” about what books mean to them.

However, given the vitriol against books by Black and other racially or ethnically diverse authors — and against books about Black history — it’s also suggested that folks take some safety precautions ahead of any scheduled events.

Precautions include monitoring social media and emails for threats or protests and inspecting areas around event venues for suspicious people or items. Restricting access to only those authorized to attend or celebrate the event is also recommended.

But if Mychal the Librarian can get the courage to show up to the day of action at the New York Public Library, the rest of us can, too. As Threets says in his Instagram video, “It is all about the freedom to read.”"