Award-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay is Honorary Chair for Banned Books Week 2024, September 22 – 28. DuVernay is joined by Youth Honorary Chair Julia Garnett, a student activist who fought book bans here in her home state of Tennessee. DuVernay and Garnett will lead virtual programs during Banned Books Week, and details will be shared on BannedBooksWeek.org The theme for Banned Books Week 2024 is “Freed Between the Lines,” an observance of the freedom we find in the pages of books and the need to defend that freedom from censorship.
A day of action will be observed September 28 — Let Freedom Read Day — which will focus on voting, from registering to vote and understanding what’s on the ballot to making sure communities are informed about their rights. Everyone is encouraged to do at least one thing on September 28 to fight censorship.
“I believe that censorship is the enemy of freedom,” said DuVernay, honorary chair of Banned Books Week. “By banning books, we deny ourselves the opportunity to learn from the past and to envision a braver future. Books have the power to open minds and build bridges. This is why certain forces do not want the masses to engage with books. They fear progress and growth in new, bold directions. For this reason, Banned Books Week is vitally important. It is a celebration of our right to access varied voices and to engage with ideas that challenge and champion us. I am honored to be selected as honorary chair of Banned Book Week for this election year, and I stand with my fellow readers, fellow writers and fellow advocates around the world who refuse to let voices be silenced.”
DuVernay is the groundbreaking writer, director, and producer behind acclaimed films and television projects like Selma, 13th, Queen Sugar, and When They See Us. The Academy Award nominee and winner of Emmy, BAFTA, NAACP, GLAAD, Critics Choice, and Peabody Awards is a staunch advocate for education and free expression. DuVernay directed two films inspired by frequently banned books: A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle; and Origin, on the life of Isabel Wilkerson, author of Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.
Garnett was honored for her advocacy for the freedom to read by First Lady Dr. Jill Biden during a ceremony at the White House. Garnett is also a leader in the National Coalition Against Censorship’s Student Advocates for Speech program, educating other students about advocacy.
Banned Books Week 2024 follows multiple record-breaking years of censorship in libraries and schools. Attempts to censor books surged 65% in 2023 over 2022, the highest level ever tracked by the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. OIF documented 4,240 unique book titles targeted for censorship in 2023, largely due to organized campaigns targeting multiple titles at a time. Titles representing voices and lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC individuals made up 47% of those censorship targets. Initial data for 2024 censorship attempts in will be released September 23. Visit: https://bannedbooksweek.org/ for general information.
Since its founding in 1982, Banned Books Week has drawn attention to attempts to remove books and other materials from libraries, schools, and bookstores. For information about ways to participate, promotional materials, and resources, visit https://bannedbooksweek.org/let-freedom-read-day/
