Ways to Combat Censorship: Supportive Materials for Booksellers

Mitchell Kaplan is the proprietor of Books & Books, an independent bookstore, and a co-founder of the Miami Book Fair International. He serves as the Chairperson of its Board of Directors and is also a member of the steering committee of the Florida Center for the Literary Arts, which is Miami-Dade College's literary center. Mitchell's notable contributions include a two-year term as the President of the American Booksellers Association (ABA), and he maintains an active engagement with the organization. Furthermore, he holds a position on the Board of ABFFE, the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression.

The profound significance of books in illuminating our understanding of ourselves and the world is encapsulated in the words displayed on a mural in our bookstore's courtyard. Around this central message, titles of challenged books throughout history are painted, an idea conceived by one of our artist booksellers to commemorate a past Banned Books Week.

Back then, this statement was crucial, but I distinctly recall the astonishment among our customers. They found it hard to believe that iconic books spanning the past century, such as "To Kill a Mockingbird," "Grapes of Wrath," "The Color Purple," and "The Great Gatsby," had been subjected to attempts at removal from libraries and educational institutions. The notion of withholding these influential works from students seemed quaint and almost unbelievable.

While history has seen moments when censors operated diligently, there was an underlying assumption that we had moved past that era, that the free flow of ideas was secure. The First Amendment rights were unanimously regarded as sacred. Threats to the right to read certain books typically came from the fringes.

In hindsight, even though my journey as a bookseller has encompassed turbulent times advocating for these cherished rights, such as displaying copies of "The Satanic Verses" in our storefront or advocating against the dangers posed by the Patriot Act as a member of the American Booksellers Association, my optimism was naive. I believed that the worst was behind us.

However, the present reality indicates that we are facing an unprecedentedly perilous period.

In Florida, we find ourselves at the epicenter of a cynical endeavor to wield political power through the weaponization of literature. The adversaries are no longer fringe groups; instead, they are entities within the government itself. Our governor, legislature, school boards, mayors, and city councils are enacting regulations and directives that aim to distort histories and stifle numerous voices.

This effort lacks subtlety. Authors are being openly targeted and demonized. Their works are being forcibly removed from libraries and educational curricula. They encounter intimidation, causing a chilling effect on educators and librarians.

The swiftness and intensity of this attack on the First Amendment left us in awe. Many within our community felt powerless against a well-funded and coordinated onslaught.

However, the situation transformed almost overnight. The banning of books by Amanda Gorman and those centered on Langston Hughes and Black History's ABCs from an elementary school library unveiled the racist and insidious nature of these new regulations.

A resistance movement was born.

As booksellers, we recognized our potential to mobilize the community, encouraging unity against this burgeoning opposition. In line with our expertise, we organized an event, drawing upon partnerships cultivated over four decades: a church that proudly declares itself a haven for banned books, the ACLU, the local chapter of PEN America, the National Coalition Against Censorship, The Florida Freedom to Read Foundation, publishers, and authors.

We convened at the Coral Gables Congregational Church, hosting a FREADOM reading of the challenged books and distributing over 1,200 copies of these very books. A crowd of 500 people, including teachers, librarians, families, and the diverse South Florida community, came together that evening.

The FREADOM Coalition, comprising grassroots organizations like Moms 4 Libros and Families Against Banned Books (FABB), now gathers regularly, coordinating messages and strategically participating in school board meetings. Leaders are emerging, and our community is galvanized. I am more confident than ever that, as history has shown, the right to read will reassert itself, and we will steadfastly prevent anyone from being enveloped in the darkness cast by the menace of censorship.