The University of Toledo showcases its continued support for the right to read and think freely with the 26th annual Vigil for Banned Books. The event is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 5. UToledo students, staff, faculty and community members are invited to join the celebration.
The Vigil for Banned Books is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Health and Human Services Multipurpose Room 1711A-B.
Dr. Paulette Kilmer, a professor in the Department of Communications and coordinator of the UToledo Banned Books Coalition.
The American Library Association’s Banned Books Week, which launched in 1982, strives to promote the freedom of reading and expressing ideas without censorship. The theme for the 2023 Banned Books Week is “Let Freedom Read.”
“The battle for the First Amendment is never over,” said Dr. Paulette Kilmer, a professor in the Department of Communication and coordinator of the UToledo Banned Books Coalition. “We take for granted our right to read, but if we cannot read what we wish, we cannot develop our own views or question authority. Our democracy is built on a foundation of intellectual inquiry.”
The American Library Association estimates nearly 1,270 demands to censor books were made in 2022, almost doubling the number of demands reported in 2021. With this number expected to rapidly increase in coming years, the Banned Books Vigil is more relevant than ever, Kilmer said.
“In the past, school libraries mostly challenged or banned books, but in 2022, 41% of these instances occurred in public libraries,” she said. “Our human right to learn through reading should transcend political parties, but extremists have demanded that librarians remove books from shelves. An evil trend spread in 2022 — the banning of books about family life or cultural differences of people of color. Reading empowers us to understand each other.”
The event will open with a welcome from Dr. Ben Myers, chair of the Department of Communication, and continue with the following presentations:
• 9:30 a.m. — “A Voice Released from the Cupboard: The Curious Story of Margery Kempe,” by Jodi Jameson, associate professor and nursing librarian at the Mulford Library.
• 10 a.m. — Dr. Linda Smith Lecture: “The Great Banned Books Bake Sale: The Personal Experiences With Banning of a Local Award-Winning Children’s Book Author, Aya Khalil.”
• 11 a.m. — “See-No Black, Speak-No Black, Hear-No Black,” by professor Angela Siner, director of the Africana Studies Program and director of the Anthropology Program.
• 11:30 a.m. — “Banning the Woke — Bad for America,” Warren Woodberry, Toledo author and educator.
• Noon — “To Read or Not to Read: American Freedom is in Question,” Dr. Monita Mungo, an associate professor of sociology and anthropology.
• 12:30 p. m. — “President by Massacre,” Dr. Barbara Mann, a professor emerita of humanities in the Jesup Scott Honors College.
• 1 p.m. — “On Drowning Rats: How Two Women Took Down a Sexual Harasser and How You Can Too,” by coauthors Rachel Richardson and Cami Roth Szirotnyak.
• 1:30 p.m. — “The Weaponization of the First Amendment,” Dr. Sam Nelson, an associate professor of political science.
• 2 p.m. — Banned books Jeopardy!
• 3 p.m. — “We have a choice between two Bs that is Ban or Burn!” Dr. Asma Abdel Halim, a professor of women’s and gender studies.
• 3:30 p.m. — “How Not to Legislate Education,” Dr. Renee Heberle, a professor of political science and co-director of the Program in Law and Social Thought.
• 4 p.m. — “Beyond Books: Banning Trans,” Dr. Sharon Barnes, an associate professor and chair of the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies.
• 4:30 p.m. — “Rainbows Banned” Risa Cohen, creative director of Sing Into Music, with Christopher Antalek, an area musician.
Free books, door prizes and light refreshments will be provided, as well as extra credit vouchers for student attendees. The University of Toledo Department of Communication, the Jesup Scott Honors College and the University of Toledo General Libraries sponsor the Banned Books Week Vigil.
“Our banned books festival is the best day of the year,” Kilmer said. “Many speakers invite the audience to participate in their presentations, which last 20 minutes or less. We listen and learn but we also laugh a lot, and we enjoy being together to share our insights about the power of ideas to brighten our lives and improve our world.”
For more information about the 26th anniversary of the UToledo Banned Books Vigil, visit the UToledo Banned Books Coalition website or contact Kilmer at pkilmer@rockets.utoledo.edu.
