Roberto Germán [00:00:01]:
Welcome to Our Classroom. In this space, we talk about education, which is inclusive of but not limited to what happens in schools. Education is taking place whenever and wherever we are willing to learn. I am your host, Roberto Germán, and our classroom is officially in session. Welcome back, my people. Good to be with y'. All. In our last episode, we unpacked Lorena Germán's blog post, Harmful Books versus Harm-Exposing Books.
Roberto Germán [00:00:38]:
And we talked about how some books sustain bias and others challenge it, and how educators can defend books that reveal truth rather than hide it. Today, we're gonna build on that conversation because there's a new layer emerging, one that's all about language, power, and control. See, Lorena recently shared a short video ad about the difference between harmful books and harm exposing books. And in response, we got a comment that perfectly illustrates the tension happening right now in the conversation about book banning. So let's talk about that. Let's get into it. Right? So here's what happened. Lorena has said nobody is talking about this when it comes to the big conversation about books and harmful books.
Roberto Germán [00:01:22]:
In book bannings, there's a difference between a harmful book and a book that exposes harm. This was a short, clear and direct message inviting people to reflect. Then came a comment from someone named. I won't name him. It doesn't matter. But he said, no one is discussing the difference between book banning and keeping selected books from school library shelves. When a book is not on a shelf in the school library, it's most likely because the school board deemed it inappropriate for a specific age group. The book can still be found in bookstores or public libraries.
Roberto Germán [00:02:09]:
He went on to say that book banning would remove all public access and that many books are banned because they reflect violence, sexual content, and political ideology. Now, I want to pause there, because this comment represents what a lot of people think is happening, and yet it misses something huge. Here's the thing. The words banning and removing might sound technical, but they carry very different weight depending on who you are. You. Yes, technically, a book might still exist somewhere. Thank you. It might be on Amazon or in a library miles away or in a private collection.
Roberto Germán [00:02:59]:
But that's actually not the point. When a school removes a book from the shelves, it's not just about access, it's about message. It tells students this story isn't safe, this identity is inappropriate, this truth doesn't belong in our learning space. And when those decisions disproportionately target books by authors of color, indigenous voices, folks of other identities, then it's not neutral policy. It's pattern exclusion. So when people say, well, you can still buy it, that's like saying you could still breathe, just not in this room. Ha. So that's not freedom, that's containment.
Roberto Germán [00:03:51]:
And there's a lot of irony here when we think about the notion of freedom. The people who are fighting for freedoms, but only fighting for certain freedoms. You understand what I'm saying? So here's Lorenzo's framing harmful versus harm explanation. Exposing books. All right, so that becomes critical. Again, removing a harmful book might protect kids from stereotypes, demeaning language, or racist caricatures. But removing a harm exposing book, one that tells the truth about injustice, protects adults from discomfort, not children from harm. You see, discomfort isn't the enemy.
Roberto Germán [00:04:31]:
Discomfort is the start of learning. Been. I've been in plenty of situations in which I've wrestled with discomfort. All right. I think about going to boarding school as a 14 year old out of Lawrence, Massachusetts, in Newport, Rhode Island. Hello, stark contrast. And I think sometimes what people call age appropriateness is simply a cover for. I'm not ready to talk about this.
Roberto Germán [00:05:04]:
That's why this conversation has to move beyond semantics. We can't get stuck arguing whether a book is banned or restricted when the effect is the same. Students lose access to stories that firm their humanity and deepen their critical thinking. Let's push the critical thinking. So maybe the question isn't is this book banned or restricted? Maybe the question is, who benefits from this decision? Whose truth gets protected and whose truth gets silenced? Because behind every so called policy decision about curriculum or library access, there's a power dynamic at play. There's a worldview trying to shape what kids can imagine. If we keep that in mind, we'll stop getting lost in definitions and start asking better questions about justice, representation, and equity in education. Right back to that critical thinking part.
Roberto Germán [00:06:16]:
So here's the homework. Our Classroom, family, my people, when you hear someone say that book isn't banned, it's just not appropriate for schools. Ask them. Appropriate for whom? Ask them to define harm. Ask them to consider who decides what students are ready for and whether that decision is rooted in care or in control. Because when we remove books that expose harm, we're not protecting children. We're protecting the systems that caused the harm in the first place. And many of us had participated in that.
Roberto Germán [00:07:13]:
All right, I am guilty of this also. I have protected certain systems, right? So let's just be honest, be transparent. Let's acknowledge our faults. And if we're serious about equity, we need to keep these stories on the shelves and keep the conversation alive. All right, I'm just keeping it brief today because I thought about that comment. I'm like, you know, sometimes I'll get on and I'll just start responding to some of these comments that come our way on social media. But I'm trying to practice being slow to respond and really processing what people are saying. And then if it makes sense to share it out in the bigger platform, if I think it's going to be beneficial for our audience.
Roberto Germán [00:08:15]:
And so thank you for tuning in today to our classroom. If you haven't yet checked out last week's episode, the Difference Between Harmful Books and Harm-Exposing Books, and read Lorena's full blog post on multiculturalclassroom.com/blog. Please do so. You're going to benefit from it. And if you want to join the conversation, head into Instagram, Facebook, tell us what you think. All right, let's keep pushing for classrooms that reflect truth, love and justice. That's it for today, my people. Keep it pushing.
Roberto Germán [00:08:56]:
Keep it positive. Peace and love from our classroom. As always, your engagement in Our Classroom is greatly appreciated. Be sure to subscribe, rate the show and write a review. Finally, for resources to help you understand the intersection of race, bias, education and society, go to multiculturalclassroom.com Peace and love from your host, Roberto Germán.
