Monthly Archives: March 2007

Joint letter to Jefferson County Superintendent About Removal of Beloved from High School English Classes

By |2019-03-15T18:11:35-04:00March 30th, 2007|Updates|

Stephen W. Daeschner, Superintendent Jefferson County Public Schools Jefferson County Board of Education Box 34020 Louisville, KY 40232                         March 30, 2007 Dear Superintendent Daeschner and Members of the Board of Education: We are troubled by the recent removal of the book, Beloved by Toni Morrison, from the Advanced Placement (AP) English classes at Eastern High School.  We understand that [...]

ACLU Files Arts Funding Lawsuit in Michigan

By |2020-01-03T14:13:41-05:00March 20th, 2007|Updates|

Detroit -- On March 20, 2007, the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan announced a federal lawsuit on behalf of the Ann Arbor Film Festival (AAFF) against the State of Michigan for violating the first amendment rights of the festival.

Interview With Susan Patron

By |2020-01-03T14:12:59-05:00March 16th, 2007|Updates|

Early in 2007, the Newbery Award-winning novel The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron became the subject of a dispute among authors and librarians across the country over its use of the word “scrotum.”  Following a report in the New York Times, the story of Patron’s challenged book became national news, and many school librarians have hesitated to purchase [...]

Joint letter to Duval County Superintendent about Objections to Books in Jacksonville School Libraries

By |2019-03-15T18:11:32-04:00March 16th, 2007|Updates|

We are troubled by media reports of efforts to remove a number of books from two public school libraries in Duval County.  We understand that parents have objected to Vegan Virgin Valentine by Carolyn Mackler at Mandarin High School and to Lucky by Eddie de Oliveira, Beyond the Chocolate War by Robert Cormier, Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume, and Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes at LaVilla School of the Arts.

Defend Free Speech on the Public Airwaves

By |2020-01-03T14:32:01-05:00March 12th, 2007|Incidents|

Defend Free Speech on the Public Airwaves   update: 3/26/2007: It appears that the initial update we provided on MPBN's response was misinformed. While the station has voiced its desire to keep Robert Skoglund on the air, it appears to remain committed to its "non-political" speech restrictions, as explained in this statement. While we respect MPBN's commitment to non-partisan, even-handed [...]

Second Annual Sunshine Week Event Will Explore Government Secrecy and Openness

By |2020-01-03T13:37:26-05:00March 12th, 2007|Events|

Closed Doors, Open Democracies? A national dialogue with government openness experts Join Ira Flatow, host and executive producer of NPR's Science Friday, and t wo panels of government and other experts in a national dialogue addressing issues of access to government information, including the impact of government suppression and manipulation of scientific information on public health and safety - and [...]

Free Speech Groups Welcome Decisions Clearing Challenged Books

By |2019-03-15T17:14:48-04:00March 8th, 2007|Updates|

  NEW YORK, NY, March 8, 2007 -- The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) and the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) today welcomed decisions by federal, state and local prosecutors upholding the right of students in Howell, Michigan, to read Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, Richard Wright’s Black Boy, Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five, and Augusten Burroughs’ Running with [...]

Free Speech Groups Condemn FBI Investigation Of Literary Works

By |2020-01-03T14:12:59-05:00March 1st, 2007|Updates|

The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) and the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) today condemned the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan for asking the Federal Bureau of Investigation to investigate a complaint that books used in the public schools of Howell, Michigan, are obscene.

Go to Top