Tell Scholastic: Books Celebrating Diversity are NOT Optional!

Peter Warwick, President and CEO; Sasha Quinton, Executive VP, School Reading Events, Scholastic Corp.:

As a supporter of literature and the freedom to learn, I’m outraged by Scholastic’s decision to segregate and make optional books that celebrate the diversity of our nation and world in your Book Fairs. By targeting for exclusion books that discuss topics like the LGBTQ+ community and race, you send a disturbing message to children everywhere that their differences are something to be isolated, not celebrated, which could result in lasting harm to their development and mental health.

By caving to book bans and efforts to censor content in schools and libraries across the country, Scholastic has chosen to side with right-wing extremists and their unpopular agenda instead of celebrating diversity and promoting greater literacy for millions of children.

I urge Scholastic to reverse this decision immediately and call for the full inclusion of every book in the “Share Every Story, Celebrate Every Voice” collection at Book Fairs nationwide.

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For many adults and children who have attended a Scholastic Book Fair over the past forty years, the memories of wandering around and selecting a book or two to purchase unlocks feelings of nostalgia and excitement as kids learn to appreciate and love literature and learning.

Unfortunately, Scholastic has made a troubling decision that will forever tarnish that experience for LGBTQ+ and children of color: that books representing the beauty of their diverse communities belong in a separate “area” of the Fair, and that even including these books is optional to the school district.

Join us in calling on Scholastic to reverse their decision immediately and to fully include these materials in all Book Fairs across the nation!

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