{"id":75212,"date":"2022-09-14T03:30:07","date_gmt":"2022-09-14T07:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/?p=75212"},"modified":"2022-09-15T08:36:22","modified_gmt":"2022-09-15T12:36:22","slug":"25th-annual-vigil-for-banned-books-week-on-sept-22","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/09_14_2022\/25th-annual-vigil-for-banned-books-week-on-sept-22","title":{"rendered":"25th Annual Vigil for Banned Books Week Sept. 22"},"content":{"rendered":"

For more than two decades, UToledo students, faculty, staff and the Toledo community have joined together annually in a celebration of the right to read and think freely.<\/p>\n

Thursday, Sept. 22, marks the 25th anniversary of the University\u2019s Banned Books Week Vigil. Dr. Paulette D. Kilmer, Communication Department professor and coordinator of the UToledo Banned Books Coalition, said this year\u2019s Banned Books Vigil is as relevant as when it started.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cIn 2021, book banning incidents increased and state legislatures spread across the country wrote laws to prevent libraries and bookstores from giving people access to controversial novels,\u201d Kilmer said. \u201cOver the past quarter of a century, a legion of speakers has shown us the ways that censorship threatens our personal freedom and our democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The American Library Association\u2019s Banned Books Week, which was launched in 1982, inspired UToledo\u2019s celebration. The ALA sets aside a week to reflect on the power of books and reading to inspire, educate and challenge us, she said.<\/p>\n

In that year, a record number of books, including classics like John Steinbeck\u2019s \u201cOf Mice and Men\u201d and Harper Lee\u2019s \u201cTo Kill a Mockingbird,\u201d were banned. As time passed, LBGTQ+ and race motivated many challenges. For example, these recent titles are frequently restricted: Alex Gino\u2019s \u201cMelissa\u2019s Story (George),\u201d which focuses on a transgender girl, and Angie Thomas\u2019 \u201cThe Hate U Give,\u201d about a 16-year-old Black girl who sees a white police officer fatally shoot her best friend during a traffic stop.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe dictionary, all the holy books, and \u201cWinnie the Pooh\u201d were banned because they offended someone,\u201d Kilmer said. \u201cA library that offends nobody will consist of empty shelves because pleasing everyone is impossible.<\/p>\n

The celebration begins at 9 a.m. in the Health and Human Services Multipurpose Room 1711B, with a welcome from Dr. Ben Myers, Department of Communication chair.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s program features these presenters:<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 9:30 a.m. \u2014 \u201cDon’t Say \u2018Genocide\u2019\u201d by Barbara Mann, professor in the Jesup Scott Honors College.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 10 a.m. \u2014 \u201cThey Banned My Book, so I Wrote Another,\u201d by Aya Khalil, award-winning Ohio children\u2019s book author.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 10:30 a.m. \u2014 \u201c\u2018Gentle Reader\u2019: Examining Charlotte Bront\u00eb\u2019s \u2018Jane Eyre\u2019 and the Ethics of Trigger Warnings,\u201d by Jodi Jameson, professor and nursing librarian at the Mulford Library.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 11 a.m. \u2014 \u201cBanning Books and Chilling Conversations: Ohio HB 616 \u2018Regarding Promoting and Teaching Divisive or Inherently Racist Concepts in Public Schools,\u2019\u201d by Dr. Lynne Hamer, professor of social and philosophical foundations in the Judith Herb College of Education.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 11:30 a.m. \u2014 \u201cBanned while Black,\u201d by Professor Angela Siner, director of the Africana Studies Program and director of the Anthropology Program.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 Noon \u2014 Dr. Linda Smith Lecture: \u201cThe History of the War against Women.\u201d by Warren Woodberry, Toledo author, playwright and youth chess coach.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 1 p.m. \u2014 \u201cThe \u2018Ugly\u2019 Experiences of African American Girls\u2014The Bluest Eye,\u201d by Kyndra Gaines, African American initiatives coordinator in the Office of Multicultural Student Success.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 1:30 p.m. \u2014 \u201cA Profound Fear of Poetic Imagery,\u201d by Jonie McIntire, Poet Laureate of Lucas County.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 2 p.m. \u2014 \u201cFlorida\u2019s \u2018Don\u2019t Say Gay\u2019 Bill & Other Educational Gag Orders,\u201d by Dr. Sharon Barnes, associate professor and chair of the Department of Women\u2019s and Gender Studies.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 2:30 p.m. \u2014 Banned Books Jeopardy!<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 3 p.m. \u2014 \u201cCensoring Words from Headscarves to Internationally Acclaimed Publications,\u201d Dr. Asma Abdel Halim, professor of women\u2019s and gender studies.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 3:30 p.m. \u2014 \u201cSister Eileen and Her Boyz: An Excerpt from HIV in the Rust Belt,\u201d by Holly Hey, professor of film.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 4 p.m. \u2014 \u201cReading and Writing in Prison from the Inside Out and the Outside In,\u201d Dr. Renee Heberle, professor of political science, co-director of the Program in Law and Social Thought and coordinator of the Inside\/Out Prison Exchange Project.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 4:30 p.m. \u2014 \u201cThe Clear Channel Memorandum,\u201d by Risa Cohen, creative director of Sing into Reading.<\/p>\n

Free books, door prizes and light refreshments will be offered all day, as well as extra credit vouchers for classes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the best day of the year,\u201d Kilmer said. \u201cWe laugh a lot, and yet, the speakers raise our awareness of the shadow censorship casts over free expression. They show us how reading expands our horizons and kindles empathy, inspiring us to make the world a better place.\u201d<\/p>\n

A free banned-book trivia competition also is scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday, Sept.\u00a0<\/strong>23, in Carlson Library Room 1005.<\/p>\n

\u201cDerek Wilmott and Saadia Farooq organized our trivia match, and we think it\u2019s a great fun way to end our 25th year,\u201d Kilmer added. \u201cWe will give a few books and some door prizes. We also offer Smarties candy, which is appropriate for a game requiring thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more information about the 25th annual Banned Books Week Vigil, visit the UToledo Banned Books Coalition website<\/a> or contact Kilmer at pkilmer@rockets.utoledo.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"<\/a>

The celebration begins at 9 a.m. in the Health and Human Services Multipurpose Room 1711B, with a welcome from Dr. Ben Myers, Department of Communication chair.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":891,"featured_media":75213,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50,60,5,36,53,45,1,47,7],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75212"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/891"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75212"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75212\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75244,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75212\/revisions\/75244"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}