Season 4 Episode 4

Censorship In the Classroom: Book Bans and Challenges

This episode of PHPod originally aired in January 2024. It is being republished in honor of Pride Month.

According to the American Library Association, 2022 saw the highest number of demands to censor or remove books and resources from public schools and libraries in over 20 years. Between January 1 and August 31, 2023, there was a 20% increase in book bans and challenges compared to 2022. Most of the titles being challenged are books written by or about a person of color or a member of the LGBTQIA+ community.

There have been increases in anti-LGBTQIA+ policies, especially in states like Texas and Florida. This shift in legislative efforts and the increasing attacks against materials representing stories of LGBTQIA+ identities have made navigating reality much more complex for queer individuals.

In this episode of PHPod, host Kara Schmidt sits down with Christina Dobbs, an associate professor at Boston University Wheelock College of Education and Human Development and the director of the college’s English Education for Equity and Justice program, to discuss actions being taken to support teachers and students during this time of increasing book challenges and bans. They also discussed Dobbs’ work on the Standing Committee Against Censorship of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and her contributions to This Story Matters, an information database created by NCTE that gives teachers justifications for teaching hundreds of controversial titles.

Listen to the second part of this episode here.

Subscribe through Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Illustration by Kelly Culnan.