George M. Johnson. Courtesy Vincent Marc
By Mary Ann Bourbeau
RED BANK – The number of books challenged in libraries across the country increased by 65% in 2023 over the previous year, the highest level ever documented by the nonprofit American Library Association. In its latest report, the organization said 4,240 individual book titles were targeted for removal from schools and public libraries – a sharp increase from the previous high of 2,571 in 2022.
In an effort to defend the creativity and expression of authors, the Count Basie Center for the Arts will host “Critical Conversation: Book Banning and the Freedom of Expression” at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 23 at The Vogel, located on the Basie Center Campus in Red Bank.
The event will feature LGBTQ+ activist and New York Times best-selling author George M. Johnson, whose 2020 memoir, “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” sparked national headlines when a group called Citizens Defending Education tried to ban it from the Glen Ridge library. Johnson’s book explores his childhood, adolescence and college years as a queer Black man living in Plainfield, New Jersey, and Virginia. The book covers topics such as gender identity, toxic masculinity, brotherhood, family and consent. Johnson also included memories of the bullying he experienced and stories about his first sexual relationships, important points throughout his young adult life “that have shaped me into the person that I am today,” Johnson explained.
While he was lucky enough to have the support of his family and some lifelong friends, growing up he “faced many of the same problems teens face today,” said the now 38-year-old Johnson. “Trying to navigate the (school) hallways as someone who didn’t quite fit in. I dealt with racism and bullying at times because I was so effeminate. I also struggled to see other people who were like me or to see myself represented in society while trying to figure out what my own identity was.”
Joining Johnson on the panel will be Tina Marie Doody, director of the Glen Ridge Public Library and Zaneta Rago-Craft, Ed.D., director of Monmouth University’s Intercultural Center and advisor to the president for Diversity and Inclusion. The evening will be hosted and moderated by Jonathan Friedman, director of free expression and education programs at PEN America, a nonprofit organization that stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide.
Throughout the country, school districts and state legislatures have experienced aggressive and politicized debates over which reading materials are appropriate for children and teens. Doody remembers well the outcry that occurred when Citizens Defending Education called for the ban of Johnson’s book as well as two others from the library. After she reviewed them and refused to remove them from the library’s shelves, an opposition group called Glen Ridge United Against Book Bans formed, leading to a headline-grabbing forum with more than 1,000 people attending the original citizen group’s appeal. The books ultimately remained available to all.
“It was very challenging and stressful,” Doody recalled about the protests. “However, we followed the process laid out in our policy, and ultimately the decision was to keep the books on the shelves in their original locations. I believe it is important that our patrons have access to materials featuring the lived experiences of all different kinds of people so that they can either see their own experiences mirrored or learn about someone else’s life. Having a role model like George who is willing to share their experiences and truths is incredibly important to young people who may not feel like they see themselves in a lot of books or media or in their communities.”
The American Library Association’s report found that nearly half of the book titles targeted for censorship dealt with “the voices and lived experiences” of the LGBTQ+ community and people of color.
In addition to book banning, Johnson said he plans to discuss the problems many Black queer people face in the U.S. at the Basie event. “I often try to connect the dots between the oppressive systems in this country and how they don’t operate in silos but rather as a complete system,” he said.
“Hosting critical conversations to discuss important social issues is part of our mission,” said Adam Philipson, president and CEO, Count Basie Center for the Arts. “Using our venues and spaces to host forums for expression and evaluation of current issues affecting our society is the Basie’s commitment to bettering the community as a whole.”
Johnson said speaking engagements like these mean “the world” to him. “I now get to be the person I wish I had in my life growing up. I get to create a blueprint and give them a roadmap to navigate society in a way that I wish I had.”
Concluding the evening will be a short-form documentary that weaves together interviews and insightful analysis on how book bans have recently shaped the narrative in our country. Those who attend will have the opportunity to purchase various books that have been banned at schools and libraries nationwide.
The winners of a companion teen writing contest, conducted by the Red Bank literacy nonprofit Project Write Now, will be announced at the event. The contest was open to entries of poetry and prose inspired by the theme of freedom.
Tickets for the event are $20. A $10 student discount is available at the box office only. For more information, visit thebasie.org.
The article originally appeared in the March 21 – 27, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
