Date
April 25, 2023
Time
1:00 pm PT - 2:00 pm PT/ 4:00 pm ET - 5:00 pm ET
Presented By
Dra. Anna-Michelle McSorley, PhD, MPH
About
Book bans in the United States have increased sharply in recent years. According to a 2022 report released by Pen America, from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022, 138 districts across 32 states implemented book bans. Books that highlight LGBTQ+ themes, cover topics on race and racism, or center the stories of communities and protagonists of color are among the most likely to be removed from classrooms and libraries across the country. This is a societal reality that compromises our collective ability to access knowledge about the marginalized communities that experience some of the most striking health inequities in the US. For public health researchers, practitioners and advocates committed to anti-racism, social justice, and health equity, these book bans emerge as an additional barrier to advancing these causes.
As a solution to this public health threat, Dra. Anna-Michelle McSorley, PhD, MPH proposes reading as an act of rebellion, which entails reading, sharing, and widely discussing banned books. By the conclusion of this session, participants will have a deeper understanding of book bans in the US and how these bans are an emerging threat to health equity. Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to practice rebellious reading with members of the public health community.
Dra. McSorley is a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Anti-racism, Social Justice and Public Health at the NYU School of Global Public Health. She is also an affiliate of the UCLA Center for the Study of Racism, Social Justice, and Health and is the founder of the Anti-Colonialism Collective (ACC) Book Club.
