A group of about 40 attendees filled every seat in Room 280 of the J. Paul Leonard Library to hear from panelists and discuss books that some may consider worthy of censorship. San Francisco State University held its first event of this year’s Banned Books Week, “From Banned Books to Banned Histories — 57 Years of Struggle for Ethnic Studies,” on Tuesday.
This year’s Banned Books Week at SFSU is a collaboration between the Africana studies department and the J. Paul Leonard Library. The nationwide event was launched in 1982 and runs annually, a week either in late September or early October. The event focuses on encouraging students to object to traditional thoughts and patterns, while also celebrating the creation of the first College of Ethnic Studies in the country.
Panelists Katya Irvin, Ysabel Grant, Celeste Williams, Jada Staley and Sarahi Rodriguez-Yannacone presented various banned books, including “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou and “I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” by Erika Sanchez.
Irvin, who is also a psychology student, brought “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” which detailed the early life of the author as a young Black girl growing up in the Deep South.
“White people have built the systems that we lived in for the ability to be comfortable within those spaces and as marginalized groups, unpacking and genuinely telling our story is not supposed to make them comfortable,” Irvin said. “For me, telling my story is not for you to feel comfortable… This is us telling you that you are part of a greater system and a greater image of white America. My experience and my detriment is fueling your success.”
Melanie Smith, a librarian at SFSU, said the movement needs to be clear and organized.
“There are things that involve government, but a lot of the sort of challenges that are brought against books are being brought by individuals who often aren’t very closely related to the organizations where they’re taking these challenges,” Smith said.”School libraries very often are the largest targets.”
DeMian Williams, an art student in attendance, brought up to the panelists how white people historically have taken credit for the positive things Black people have created, citing the music industry as an example.
“White people are being threatened because of how talented Black people are, how creative they are and being able to share their talent to people all over the world, not just [in] America, but in Europe and all over the [United] States,” Williams said.
Williams said President Donald Trump is trying to revert the U.S. back to the 1950s.
“He’s trying to bring back the Jim Crow laws and bring back the segregation,” Williams said. “I think that is completely harmful and delusional, and people are trying their best to stop that.”
Julian Delgado, a financial business student, took a race and resistance class and said he was touched by the panelists’ presentation. Delgado said he was able to relate to the panelists and their experiences during Trump’s term.
“I’ve seen houses being raided, and there’s times where I feel like I can’t even go out anymore due to [ICE] now having the ability to racially profile Hispanics,” Delgado said. “Now you can get picked up for being yourself.”
Shanice Robinson-Blacknell, a visiting assistant professor who moderated the panel and holds a doctorate in educational leadership, said the Trump administration is trying to control much of the narrative, which is why she encourages students to speak up to the people before them and take ownership of their own narratives.
“If we don’t, we become further marginalized, we become further oppressed,” Robinson-Blacknell said. “That’s what Banned Books is about: paying homage to both those authors who spoke out loud and didn’t allow censorship to deter them from having a voice.”
The library’s banned books and artifacts from the SFSU student strike will be on display on the first floor near the elevators through Saturday. To close off Banned Books Week, there will be a film screening and talkback of “Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution” in the Special Collections & Archives Reading Room at Room 460 from 1 to 4 p.m. on Thursday.
“Read the book that speaks to you,” Smith said. “Read the book that challenges you, or the book that affirms you, or the book that answers questions or makes you ask questions.”
Editor’s note: Updated to correct Robinson-Blacknell’s title.
