Black books are the latest targets in the war against equity. Across the United States, different public schools have banned different books, with many of these bans taking aim at literature that affirms Black identity and culture. These book bans aren’t happening in a vacuum—they are part of wider trend that seeks to dismantle civil rights, corporate DEI initiatives, and legislation that was erected to address systemic inequities.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and creator of the 1619 Project Nikole Hannah-Jones was confronted with these challenges firsthand as she prepared for a free African American read-in event in Waterloo, Iowa. Hannah-Jones explained in a now-viral Instagram post that she couldn’t get any of the local news stations in her hometown of Waterloo to cover the read-in event, explaining that every year, the community schools in the state participated in a free African American read-in, but this year her hometown school district backed out of the read-in event based on the current anti-DEI directives from the Trump administration. Hannah-Jones, who is the founder of the 1619 Freedom School, immediately took action, organizing a community-led read-in event to ensure Black students had access to inspiring and affirming literature. Hannah-Jones explained that at this event, she and her fellow authors would be reading from their books and giving hundreds of books away for free.
Canceling events like the read-in is part of a coordinated and calculated attempt to erase Black identity, sever access to knowledge, and disassemble pathways to equity and justice. Hannah-Jones explained “the research shows that when Black students have a curriculum that reflects their lives, where they can see themselves in it, when they study Black history, they do better academically. They’re more likely to graduate high school, and they just have overall higher levels of academic success. And that makes sense, because the curriculum relates to them. They feel a connection to it. They feel an investment to it, versus what is often the case where students are completely erased as actors, as leaders, as contributors to American society in the world and the curriculum they receive.” As Hannah-Jones explained, book bans don’t just shape what students read—they impact who gets to lead. If Black professionals aren’t reflected in literature and history, their contributions in the workplace become easier to ignore and erase—undermining DEI efforts across industries.
Derrick Barnes, an award-winning author of several different children’s books, who is also part of the read-in shared, “Any child [that] is able to see someone that looks like them, accomplishing great things, it gives them fuel to launch their own lives. You see that it’s possible to come from wherever they may come from and still end up being a difference maker. I love biographies of people from all across the human spectrum, just to find out what made them tick. What were the experiences and people in their lives that caused them to be someone worth studying and emulating. I want to tell those kind of stories because I’ve seen what they can do to uplift someone’s spirits.”
“Books play a crucial role, especially right now when our stories and voices are being silenced,” shared Tami Charles, the New York Times bestselling author of All Because You Matter. Charles is also one of the featured authors in the read-in event. “As [DEI]
support from formal institutions dwindles, it’s critical that we continue to support diverse creators. Books fill in those gaps. Books allow us to self-educate and facilitate meaningful conversations about myriad topics. What does this look like on a macro level? Requesting diverse books at your local library. Supporting independent bookstores, especially pouring extra love into those owned and operated by BIPOC. Social media posts about a recent favorite read. Donating books to any and every one you can.”
The erasure of Black books is part of a deliberate assault on civil rights, historical truth, and Black futures. Hannah-Jones explained “What we’re seeing is a wide scale assault on civil rights. The way that you clear the path to assault people’s and particularly Black people’s civil rights is you first have to erase us from the public sphere, right? So, you erase our stories. You ensure that when you go to the movies, you’re not seeing us on the screen…when you look at the best seller list, stories about our experience and the struggles that we face are not on that best seller list. The new list of children’s books coming out are not full of stories about our experience. It’s not incidental that these things are going hand in hand. First, we’re seeing this very public erasure. All of these, everything from book publishers to film studios to art museums pulling back on efforts to really include us in their content…that’s what paves the way for the actual taking of rights. And these two things are going hand in hand.” This same strategy is playing out in corporate America, where dismantling DEI efforts makes it easier to exclude Black professionals—not just from leadership and decision-making spaces, but from being hired in the first place.
In the face of rising resistance and opposition, silence is complicity. “I’m going to lean on our sister Audre Lorde and say, ‘your silence will not protect you.’ None of us are necessarily safe, no matter what our positions are, and I think all of us are concerned about the personal consequences, but this is a moment of collective consequence, and so, you can, not say anything, and they’re still going to purge you. They’re still not going to buy your book, but there’s going to one day be an accounting about where [we stood] in this moment, and who stood up. And I just think you want to be on the right side.”
“Even with DEI rollbacks, the people still need these stories,” Barnes explained. “If there’s one thing about Black people that I know, especially Black women, we will adjust. That may look like starting our own businesses finally, or own distribution networks, in this case in Waterloo, starting our own book drive for the babies.” For those navigating resistance, particularly within schools, institutions and organizations, Charles offered some sound advice. “Keep going,” she said. “They may try to bury us—our stories, our art, our history—but like those who came before us, we will rise and remind them that we are seeds. . .roots thick with dreams and possibilities!”