By Austin Smith
Across the state of North Carolina, books are quietly disappearing. It’s not that students aren’t
interested, but that parents are starting to fear education and the truths that come with it. The
precise reason is that the current administration is trying to destroy the Department of Education.
Titles such as The Color Purple, The Handmaid's Tale, and Of Mice and Men are being ripped
off shelves across the state. All in the name of “protecting the children.” Censorship, however,
doesn’t make classrooms safer; it makes them smaller.
As a student who is openly gay in a small, rural town, I’ve always felt the sting of erasing history
in the classroom long before books became targets. My existence was always a topic people felt
was too “mature” and too “controversial.” My identity had always been a topic of debate,
especially at my school. School should be a place to think and critically examine issues freely,
but it has become a place where I edit myself every morning before walking in the door. I always
found solace in reading and relating to characters like me. This is something that is no longer an
option for students like me.
This is precisely what book bans strive to do: force students to edit their lives so that they can
authentically live and see themselves reflected in classrooms and literature in their libraries.
When a school board removes a book that talks about race or tells an LGBTQ story, they aren’t
protecting students; they’re protecting the long history of racism and prejudice that is embedded
in the South, a history we have worked so hard to overcome. This is one that so many authors
sought to change through their stories and novels. They’re saying that my story and your story
don’t belong here because they’re different, which in their vernacular is a synonym for
dangerous. Simply because it shines a spotlight on history they would rather not recall, but
instead alter.
The irony is that these very books are the ones that teach empathy, resilience, and understanding.
The same values an educational institution should seek to build. When I first read The Hate U
Give, I didn’t see it as divisive; I saw it as a raw depiction of what Black Americans face every
day. When I read Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, it was one of the first times I saw
someone like me reflected in a book. These books have never confused me; they have only given
me what school is meant for: an education. Telling me that different identities aren’t something
to fear but something to learn and understand.
Banning books will never stop students from thinking, but it will disable them from thinking
deeply. Shrinking classrooms to what’s comfortable does not equate to safety. Think about how
much hatred could be stopped if people would just open one of these books. Absolute safety is
derived from knowledge, compassion, and inclusion. When we hide stories different from ours,
we don’t allow people to grow beyond their own experience.
As Class President and a member of the NC Association of Teen Democrats, I’ve learned that
leadership isn’t about avoiding hard conversations but instead striving to start them. Book bans
show us that it’s easier to conform than to question. Making me think of what any teacher has
ever told me, which is that the easiest option is almost always the wrong option. Democracy and
education depend on people's willingness to ask questions, listen, and think critically, which is
why some people are seeking to ban books that foster logical and critical thinking.
This isn’t an abstract issue; it’s personal for the millions of people of color and the hundreds of
thousands of LGBTQ+ Americans whose stories deserve to be known. Stories like mine. I’ve
seen the fear that these bans create, with teachers shying away from challenging and
uncomfortable topics. I’ve also felt disappointed in seeing adults make decisions about students
they have never even had a conversation with.
If those who ban books claim to protect students, they should start by trusting us. We aren’t
fragile pieces of glass that will shatter over reading the truthful and painful stories that
marginalized communities have gone through. We are insightful, curious, independent thinkers
who are capable of engaging with complex ideas. Classrooms should prepare us for the real
world, not censor it.
As North Carolina continues the debate of which books should be in our libraries, I encourage
and implore students to take a stand. Remind lawmakers that learning should be fought for, not
feared.
If those who ban books claim to protect students, they should start by trusting us. We are not
fragile. We are curious, thoughtful, and capable of engaging with complex ideas. We deserve
classrooms that prepare us for the real world, not ones that censor it.
Because when classrooms shrink, so does our future, a future that we have to live in. If we want
North Carolina to be full of young, free-thinking, kind, and more empathetic students, we need to
support their development. Take the first simple step: let us read.
About the Author: Austin Smith is a senior from eastern North Carolina and a member of the NC Association of Teen Democrats. He serves as Class President and Beta Club Service Liaison at his high school, where he leads civic engagement projects and advocates for equality, inclusion, and educational freedom. He plans to major in political science and international studies, then pursue law school. He intends to become a human rights attorney and then enter politics.