Top 10 Banned Books that Changed the Face of Black History
Black History Month is as good a time as any to remember that some of the most frequently banned, censored or challenged books were written by African-American authors.
You All Remember Boy Jim, Aunt Polly’s… “Little Helper”?
Earlier this month, the Washington Post reported on a mother's attempt to have Toni Morrison's Beloved banned from AP English classes in Fairfax County. When we heard about the challenge, we immediately contacted board members to take the temperature of the situation. In Fairfax County -- a huge public school system with beefed up district operations serving 180,000 studentss -- there's a [...]
5 Books They Dont Want You Reading: Black History Month Edition
Despite receiving accolades ranging from the National Book Award to the Pulitzer, these five notorious novels have been banned by schools across the United States. Their Eyes Were Watching God —Zora Neal Hurston, 1937 "Their Eyes Were Watching God" is a bildungsroman about a young Black woman growing up in the Deep South. In 1997 parents in Brentsville, Virgina attempted to [...]
Black Comedians and Censorship
"Black comics are given such strict censorship rules to follow, TV networks might as well hire somebody else," said Black comic Rodney Perry. Check out the two clips below of legendary comic Richard Pryor. The first is his first (heavily-censored) tv debut in 1964, followed by his uncensored special "Live in Concert" filmed 15 years later. Which clip is funnier: [...]