This blog post is by Luke Marquez, Manager of Events at Sage, a Unite Against Book Bans partner.
At Sage, we believe that free expression in all forms is a basic human right, and we’re committed to promoting intellectual freedom in everything we do. This ethos drives us to publish and amplify the unique voices of scholars and educators that represent diverse populations and perspectives from across the globe. It’s also what inspired us to become a Unite Against Book Bans partner in 2022 and to sponsor the “Banned Books from the Big Chair” booth at the ALA 2024 Annual Conference.
During the conference, more than 200 authors, educators, librarians, and book enthusiasts sat on our larger-than-life Big Chair and read a selected passage from their favorite banned book. We’re thrilled to announce that during Banned Books Week 2024, recordings from the big chair will be made publicly available. We can’t wait to share them with you.
Each Big Chair reading highlighted the immense value of free and open access to books and the harm of censorship. Readers struck a defiant tone as they narrated excerpts from texts with which they had deep personal connections. Many also shared the significance of their chosen passage and emphasized why it’s important to read, buy, and promote banned books.
This proved to be a profoundly emotional experience, with many readers getting teary when reflecting on the feelings of joy, connectedness, and belonging that these books had brought them. We cherish the meaningful moments that these recitals created; it was a privilege to witness these raw, honest testimonials.
Among the guests welcomed to the booth were Nigerian-American illustrator Briana Mukodiri Uchendu, award-winning author Susannah Kennedy, and Miss Black America, Gabrielle Wilson. Sonja Cherry-Paul, an author committed to advancing the work of antiracism with schools and organizations, also stopped by with a reminder of the impact that books can have in the classroom. Her book, Antiracist Reading Revolution, is published by our very own Corwin imprint, and helps educators implement antiracist reading practices that promote love, joy, community, justice, and solidarity.
We feel an enormous sense of gratitude to everyone who stopped by the booth and shared their personal, emotional connections to banned books.
We hope you’ll join all of us at Sage in celebrating Banned Books Week 2024, which will focus on the theme “Freed Between the Lines.” With the number of books targeted for censorship reaching record levels in 2023, it remains vital to celebrate the freedom found in books and sound the alarm about all that we lose when our access to reading materials is restricted. For access to Big Chair videos and more, please visit the Banned Books Week website.
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