Latest news with #IKnowWhytheCagedBirdSings'
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pete Hegseth's Orwellian purge leaves US military academies less free
I was shocked and upset to learn recently that Maya Angelou's 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' was, under orders of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, pulled from the shelves of Nimitz Library on the campus of the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. As if the removal of this seminal text of American literature were not egregious enough, in this 'DEI purge,' staff also jettisoned 'Memorializing the Holocaust,' by Janet Jacobs' and 'Jack Johnson: Rebel Sojourner,' by Theresa Runstedtler. Jacob's book explores gender as a framework in the larger context of Holocaust memory, and Runsteldler's text highlights a Black man's struggles against Jim Crow racism of the early 1900s. At a college founded in the early 1800s, but which did not produce a Black graduate until 1949, and a woman graduate until 1980, the reading of these text by students ought to be lauded, not discouraged. When I was one of the few Black students at Annapolis in the late 1970s, I and a group of classmates often discussed books we were reading outside of the classroom. The freedom to engage with books like Richard Wright's 'Native Son,' Maya Angelou's 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,' and Nathan McCall's 'Manchild in the Promised Land.' offered a connection to our personal stories and collective histories while augmenting our official instruction which emphasized the histories and accomplishments of white men. These activities encouraged curiosity and empathetic listening, skills as important to future Navy and Marine Corps officers as learning military tactics and armament. Current students at the Naval Academy may no longer have such freedom. Nearly four hundred other books were purged, prompting members of the House Armed Services Committee to demand that the Navy, 'stop the removal of books from the service academy's library.' Every American should make the same demand. Moreover they should urge their representatives in Congress to also demand that Hegseth return the purged books to the library. My alarm about this library purge extends beyond pinning for earlier days of unmonitored library visits. In what appears to be another misguided effort to conform to Executive Order 14151: Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing, staff at the Academy cancelled the talk of an invited lecturer, Ryan Holiday, after he refused their request to not mention the book purge in his remarks. Staff at libraries in other military academies and on hundreds of military installations, may be compelled to take similar actions to curtail free speech. Moreover, Secretary Hegseth's egregious actions may embolden other Trump appointees to further restrict what civilian employees may post on websites, include in internal documents, and discuss with coworkers. The NAACP correctly criticizes book bans as increasingly becoming the tool of 'anti-black policy leaders who systematically perpetuate intolerance and ignorance.' More extensive book bans have already disrupted the education of our youth. The free speech advocacy group PEN America reports nearly 16,000 book bans in our nation's public schools since 2021, numbers 'not seen since the Red Scare McCarthy era of the 1950s.' Libraries at service academies exist to help educate the next generation of military leaders. However, these libraries are operated at what the defense department markets as liberal arts colleges. While the academies' peer institutions have been criticized by Trump administration officials for giving lip service to the free flow of ideas and information, none have been subjected to such blatant censorship—not yet. One Department of Defense website reports that on his visit to the Naval Academy, Pete Hegseth said: 'Our noncommissioned officer corps…gives us an advantage over autocratic, top-down militaries every day… Push information, decision-making and capabilities downward." Yet, if the secretary genuinely believes in the power of non-autocratic leadership, he should give his subordinates more latitude to decide for themselves what they should read. Many websites offer lists of books banned by public officials in numerous states across the US. In addition to asking our representatives to oppose the book purge at the Naval Academy, the public can act further. Buy the books banned, share them with friends and colleagues, review them in the media. These are important actions in what is looking to be an ongoing fight against growing draconian efforts to suppress free speech and individual choice.
Miami Herald
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Florida bill to ban books from schools over ‘sexual content' threatens literary classics
Classic books like '1984' by George Orwell, 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' by Maya Angelou and 'The Diary of Anne Frank' offer profound insights into history, humanity and the complexities of our shared world. These are not fringe books. And yet, under the proposed House Bill 1539, now advancing in the Florida legislature, these titles could be removed from public school libraries and classrooms after little more than a formal complaint by a single person because they include sexual content. HB 1539 proposes a sweeping and rigid overhaul of how books are evaluated in Florida's public schools, defining those that may be challenged for being 'harmful to minors.' According to the bill's wording, that means any book containing 'depiction of nudity, sexual conduct or sexual excitement... patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community as a whole.' HB 1539 proposes a sweeping and rigid overhaul of how books are evaluated in Florida's public schools. If a book in a school is challenged as 'harmful to minors,' districts would be required to permanently remove the book, regardless of its educational value, cultural relevance or historical significance. The bill expressly forbids any consideration of a work's literary and artistic merit as a whole. Even foundational books, like the ones above, could be removed from public schools based on isolated scenes or language. One frivolous complaint will be all it takes to ban books, ignoring their context and complexity. Lawmakers should think carefully before making it even easier for censorship to spread. Policies like this have long been exploited by a loud few and those eager to turn personal morality into public restriction. These measures are used to ban books from classrooms and libraries, often without a transparent review or meaningful public input. The bill effectively guts the third prong of the 'Miller test,' the standard established by the U.S. Supreme Court in Miller v. California (1973), which protects works, taken as a whole, with serious literary or artistic value, from being labeled 'obscene.' That safeguard has protected important books from being labeled obscene for decades. By narrowing what is considered acceptable in Florida, this bill invites confusion, weakens First Amendment protections and opens the door to costly legal battles over free expression, which will fall squarely on Florida taxpayers. Let's be clear: HB 1539 threatens to sever the thread between students and textually rich literature. It reduces sophisticated narratives to flattened singular passages, ignoring the breadth and power a story can offer when taken as a whole. By rejecting the holistic evaluation of books, this bill undermines a key foundation of both literary expression and public education. This bill sidelines inquiry in favor of control. It does not protect knowledge; it restricts it. It does not enliven thought; it narrows it. PEN America has urged Florida lawmakers to reject HB 1539, warning that it endangers students' First Amendment rights and undermines the foundation of our public education system and academic freedom. The bill's new definition of 'harmful to minors' diverges sharply from constitutional standards. If passed, HB 1539 would likely result in the removal of widely taught and historically significant works from public school libraries and classrooms. It would deny public school students the chance to engage meaningfully with literature, to grapple with big ideas and gain a deeper appreciation for language and artistic expression. Our literary canon captures pivotal moments in our shared story and presents a layered portrait of life. When students are exposed to a wide range of reading materials, they don't just access information; they build cultural understanding and sharpen their imagination. Protecting access to nuanced works isn't just about saving books; it's about cultivating intellectual and emotional growth for as many as possible. William Johnson is the director of PEN America's Florida office.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Author says Naval Academy canceled his lecture over removed book reference
BALTIMORE — The Naval Academy canceled a speech by author and podcaster Ryan Holiday after he declined a request not to reference 381 books and literary works removed from its library as part of a review of diversity, equity and inclusion materials, according to an opinion piece he authored for The New York Times. Holiday, who has hosted a series of lectures on the virtues of Stoicism to midshipmen for the past four years, was scheduled to speak to the sophomore class on the theme of wisdom on April 14. About an hour before his scheduled talk, Holiday received a phone call, he recounted in the Times Opinion piece titled 'The Naval Academy Canceled My Lecture on Wisdom.' According to Holiday, Navy officials told Holiday they were worried about 'reprisals' related to a portion of his speech that referenced the 381 books recently removed. They asked him to omit that topic from his remarks, he wrote. 'When I declined, my lecture — as well as a planned speech before the Navy football team, with whom my books on Stoicism are popular — was canceled,' Holiday wrote. Navy media officials could not be reached for comment Saturday. Holiday is the author or co-author of 28 books on Stoicism and has delivered speeches to the Cleveland Browns, Nike, Google and the White House Communications Agency. Some titles removed from the Navy's Nimitz Library include 'How to Be an Antiracist' by Ibram X. Kendi, 'White Evangelical Racism: The Politics of Morality in America' by Anthea Butler, 'Writing/teaching: Essays Toward a Rhetoric of Pedagogy' by Paul Kameen, and 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' by Literarian Award recipient Maya Angelou. Other titles included themes of feminism, civil rights and racism, along with books surrounding Jewish history, including 'Memorializing the Holocaust: Gender, Genocide and Collective Memory' by Janet Jacobs. The decision to remove books came after the Naval Academy announced it would no longer consider race, ethnicity or sex as a factor for admission, a response to an executive order signed by President Donald Trump, according to federal court documents. Holiday said it was important to address the issue in his speech. 'As an author, I believe deeply in the power of books,' Holiday wrote in The Times. 'As a bookstore owner in Texas, I have spoken up about book banning many times already. More important was the topic of my address: the virtue of wisdom. 'As I explained repeatedly to my hosts, I had no interest in embarrassing anyone or discussing politics directly. I understand the immense pressures they are under, especially the military employees, and I did not want to cause them trouble. I did, however, feel it was essential to make the point that the pursuit of wisdom is impossible without engaging with (and challenging) uncomfortable ideas.'
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
American Library Association challenges Trump cuts in court, as libraries face new tests
Ordinarily, the annual National Library Week does not generate significant attention from political writers, but this year is not like most. Indeed, National Library Week 2025 included an important new lawsuit from the American Library Association. The New York Times reported: The American Library Association and a union representing more than 42,000 cultural workers nationwide have filed a lawsuit contesting the Trump administration's deep cuts to the federal agency that supports the nation's libraries. ... The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday by the library association and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, came days after the Institute for Museum and Library Services dismissed most of its staff of 70, fired its board and began informing state library agencies that their grants had been cut. As my MSNBC colleague Ja'han Jones explained last week, the Trump administration, by way of Elon Musk's DOGE initiative, gutted the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which funds museums, archives and libraries around the country. This week's lawsuit is seeking an injunction to reverse Team Trump's cuts and halting 'any further steps to dissolve the agency,' arguing that it's up to Congress, not DOGE, to dismantle an agency created by lawmakers nearly 30 years ago with bipartisan support. As The New Republic recently noted, local libraries are mostly funded by local tax dollars, but these libraries do receive federal funds for things like employee training and technology updates. A USA Today report added that local libraries have relied on grants from the IMLS to fund everything from summer reading programs to programs that provide books to those with disabilities. The more the Trump administration succeeds in hollowing out the IMLS, the more local institutions and the people who rely on them will suffer. 'Libraries play an important role in our democracy, from preserving history to providing access to government information, advancing literacy and civic engagement, and offering access to a variety of perspectives,' American Library Association President Cindy Hohl said in a statement. 'These values are worth defending. We will not allow extremists to threaten our democracy by eliminating programs at IMLS and harming the children and communities who rely on libraries and the services and opportunities they provide,' she added. It comes against a backdrop of extraordinary and unusual challenges that face libraries at multiple levels. In response to an order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, for example, the U.S. Naval Academy's Nimitz Library removed 381 books, including Maya Angelou's 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' and books on the Holocaust. Similarly, on-base school libraries have also been directed to remove books from shelves that don't meet with Team Trump's approval. Around the same time, NBC News reported that officials in California, Connecticut and Washington have been notified that the Trump administration has terminated funding the states rely on to operate many local libraries. This week, meanwhile, the Mississippi Library Commission scrubbed academic research from a database used by state libraries, targeting research collections focused on 'race relations' and 'gender studies.' Voters might not have realized last fall that the election would launch this kind of systematic offensive against libraries, but that's precisely what the public is now receiving. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
5 things to know for April 7: Global markets, Israel, Flooding, Deportations, Sea lions
The US Naval Academy has removed 381 books from the Nimitz Library to comply with the Trump administration's decision to remove diversity, equity and inclusion efforts from the federal government. Among the texts that cadets are no longer allowed to access are: 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' by Maya Angelou, 'Our Time Is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America' by Stacey Abrams and 'Memorializing the Holocaust' by Janet Jacobs. Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day. President Donald Trump's escalating trade war continued to cause turmoil today across world financial markets. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index closed 7.9% lower and the Shanghai Composite Index ended down more than 7%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index tumbled nearly 12% while South Korea's Kospi finished 5.6% lower. In Europe, Germany's Dax opened down 9% and London's FTSE was off about 5%. The picture is just as grim on Wall Street where stocks are set to open sharply lower, putting the S&P 500 on the precipice of a bear market — a decline of 20% from its peak and an ominous sign for investors and perhaps the broader economy. It's been a month since Israel cut off humanitarian supplies to the Gaza Strip and without that much-needed aid, the living situation of 2 million civilians has rapidly deteriorated. In the past few weeks, Israel's renewed bombing campaign has claimed hundreds of lives and displaced more than 280,000 people, according to UN officials. Without access to food, fuel and clean water, hunger in Gaza is worsening and could lead to famine. A lack of basic infrastructure and sanitation could also spark outbreaks of disease. The UN and other aid groups have accused Israel of violating international law by blocking the flow of aid into Gaza and using starvation as a weapon of war. On Sunday, Israel announced that it would continue to withhold aid to pressure Hamas into releasing more hostages and would impose new conditions on the extension of the ceasefire agreement. Violent storms that swept through the central US have claimed the lives of at least 19 people in seven states since Wednesday. In addition to strong winds, hail and tornadoes, the severe weather system dropped potentially record rainfall in areas unaccustomed to flooding. Rising river levels have prompted Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear to declare a state of emergency. Numerous water rescues took place in the Colesburg area some 30 miles south of Louisville as the Rolling Fork River rose rapidly on Sunday. Drone footage from nearby towns showed streets, fields, homes and businesses under vast quantities of water. Evacuations and warnings have also been issued near the Kentucky River, which is expected to crest at a historic high later today. The Trump administration has until 11:59 p.m. today to return a Maryland man who was deported to El Salvador in March. A federal judge issued the order Friday after the administration conceded in a court filing that it had mistakenly deported Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia. He is currently being held in a notorious mega-prison. Abrego Garcia had been living in the states under protected status since 2019 after fleeing gang violence in El Salvador. In its filing, the Trump administration admitted that ICE was aware of Abrego Garcia's protected status and that his deportation was due to 'an administrative error.' Now the White House claims it can't get him back and is appealing the judge's ruling. Sea lions have been washing up dead or sick on Southern California's coastline due to contact with a toxic algal bloom, often referred to as red tide. Although the toxin is naturally present in the Pacific Ocean, human-caused climate change, upwelling and land development has been feeding the outsized blooms. When the neurological toxin gets in the sea lions' food supply, it causes them to suffer from domoic acid toxicosis, a condition that causes seizures, difficulty breathing and aggressive or scared behavior. The illness has already led the poisoned animals to attack several humans in the water. 'When they are affected with this toxin, they're out of their minds,' John Warner, CEO of the Marine Mammal Care Center in Los Angeles, said. The center normally receives 3,000 to 4,000 calls per year about sick and stranded animals, but in the past five weeks, their hotline has received more than 2,000 calls. Dolphins have also been affected, causing dozens to strand themselves on beaches. Unlike sea lions, which can be rehabilitated, dolphins suffering from domoic acid poisoning are usually deceased when they strand, but the few still alive have to be euthanized. Huskies are back on top!UConn beat the defending champions South Carolina 82-59 on Sunday to win the women's NCAA tournament national championship game. The victory helped the Huskies set another record: their 12th national title. Mining for big bucks'A Minecraft Movie,' starring Jack Black and Jason Momoa, grossed $157 million at the box office this weekend. It was the biggest opening weekend of the year and the biggest domestic opening weekend for a film based on a video game. Bad things happen in threesDid you catch the third season finale of 'The White Lotus' last night? I won't give anything away if you're behind, but it certainly ended with a bang. More charges for Sean 'Diddy' CombsJust one month before the music mogul is set to go on trial in New York for three sex trafficking charges, federal prosecutors have added two more. One was for transportation to engage in prostitution and the other was an additional count of sex trafficking. He has pleaded not guilty. Missed your chance to see Bernie Sanders on tour?CNN plans to host a town hall with the independent Vermont senator Wednesday at 9 p.m. Actor Jay North, who starred as the title character in the CBS sitcom 'Dennis the Menace,' died at 73. He also made appearances in numerous TV shows, including 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,' 'My Three Sons,' 'Lassie' and 'The Simpsons.' 895That's the number of goals 39-year-old Alex Ovechkin scored to surpass hockey legend Wayne Gretzky as the NHL's all-time leading scorer. 'To oversimplify history is to distort it. Americans are not infants: they can handle complex and challenging historical narratives. They do not need to be protected from the truth.' — Historian Fergus Bordewich, after learning that the National Parks Service website for the Underground Railroad had been edited to remove Harriet Tubman along with several references to enslaved people and the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Check your local forecast here>>> Is it a bird? Is it a boat? This vessel 'flies' above the eFoiler is the world's first commercially viable, zero-emission propulsion solution for high-speed maritime transport.
