The 2024 Women’s History Month theme, “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion,” is a direct challenge to the un-American, fear-driven book banning that is appearing in many parts of the country.
In April 2023, the American Library Association documented an unprecedented 1,269 demands to censor library books in all 50 states. A May 23, 2023 article in the Washington Post reported that most of the 1,000-plus book challenges filed during the 2021-2022 school year in 153 U.S. school districts were filed by just 11 people! According to PEN America, one individual filed 10 or more complaints that were responsible for two-thirds of all challenges.
This development is outrageous and calls for action. One direct response comes from the El Paso YWCA, which sent out a request asking for donations of books that featured inspirational and empowering women. Within a week, 237 books on that list had been donated and will be available to more than 2,000 children. These 237 books will introduce women like Malala Yousafzai, Marian Anderson, Misty Copeland, Charlotte Parkhurst and many other real and fictional women as important role models and examples of inspiration in these students’ lives.