Ormond Beach education organization, Fern & Fable, celebrate Banned Books Week

Citizens for Truth and Justice in Education host ‘Break the Tape’ campaign at local Banned Books Week kickoff celebration.

  • By Michele Meyers
  • | 4:00 p.m. September 25, 2024
  • Ormond Beach Observer
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Citizens for Truth and Justice in Eduction, in collaboration with the National Coalition Against Censorship and the Kids Right to Read Network, launched Banned Books Week with a celebration held at Fern & Fable Books in Ormond Beach on Saturday, Sept. 21. 

Sheila Zinkerman, the co-founder of CTJE, was contacted by NCAC’s youth free expression program coordinator Gianmarco Antosca prior to the event. He asked her if she would be interested in contacting the Golden State Readers — a group of California student activists who have pledged to promote free access to books and combat literary censorship, according to their website.

She called them immediately. As soon as they asked if she would become an ambassador and also be interested in a partnership, Zinkerman quickly accepted the offer. 

“Immediately, they invited me to their Zoom meeting because they knew Banned Books Week was coming up,” she said. “I got on the call, and there were nine squares of some of the most beautiful high school kids and their facilitator from PEN America. They engaged and had no reservations about my age or anything. I was in awe.”

Zinkerman has been working with them for about three weeks. She recently reached out to them and requested a TikTok video. Within four hours, they provided one in time to be posted before the Banned Books Week kickoff celebration.

Last year, the Golden State Readers initiated the Break the Tape campaign to speak to students about book bans that had taken place in the United States. In California, over 400 backpacks were wrapped in caution tape, informational cards were handed out and over $1,000 was raised during the inaugural event. The group is hoping to spread awareness in other states where book bans have become interminable. 

Zinkerman along with CTJE co-founders Jane Breslin and Laurel Robinson handed out #BreakTheTape flyers rolled in caution tape to locals who could wrap their backpacks in the tape and post the images on social media in an effort to bring awareness to the issue in Florida.

According to the Florida Department of Education, in Volusia County during the 2022-2023 school year, there were 89 objections to various books and two removals—“Flamer” written by Mike Curato and “Relish: My Life in the Kitchen,” written by Lucy Knisley. In Flagler County, there were 24 objections and 11 removals. An objection to a book can be raised by a parent of a public school student in the school district or a resident of the county where the school district is located, per the FLDOE.

I think we should keep as many books on the shelves as we can. I think a lot of times books get challenged because it makes one particular parent or group feel uncomfortable but there’s a whole other district of families that may look different than them that want to see themselves represented in books and so it’s important for them have access to those books to be able to see themselves..." — CASSIE GONYER, Volusia County School Board District 2 candidate

CTJE co-founders hold their monthly meetings at Fern & Fable Books. After Zimmerman established a partnership with the Golden State Readers, she asked Rayna Dunlop if they could have their Banned Books Week kickoff celebration at her store.

“I love Rayna’s store,” she said. “I told her I had a group out in California that were dying to get into Florida — into Volusia County. So that’s what we did. Rayna is excellent. Some people shy away from this because it is controversial. She is so open-minded and very courageous.”

Banned Books Week is a national campaign. Dunlop said everyone from the American Booksellers Association, the American Library Association, PEN America and similar groups and publishers, use this week to give a voice to banned books and what is happening throughout the country regarding the issue. She said it is like a holiday week in the book world.

Dunlop said it was a great experience coordinating with Zinkerman who brought “swag” from coalitions and groups CTJE is involved with on a regular basis. 

“I felt like Sheila was connecting the pieces today for me,” Dunlop said. “That was super encouraging, especially as someone who’s in the thick of it as a mom. Seeing the CTJE people out there advocating and fighting for us is very, very encouraging.”

Throughout the year, Dunlop uses information obtained from the American Library Association to help keep people informed about current statistics regarding challenged or banned books. She hopes to encourage people to get to know a book in its entirety not just an excerpt.

“I feel like a big part of it is taking the time to look at the books to see the full story — see the humanity and the beauty,” she said. “We learn so much empathy and understanding through fiction and nonfiction. I feel like in a lot of these books that get targeted, there are sections of them that people pick out a little piece and say it is inappropriate for our children.” 

For Dunlop, she said it has been an overwhelming joy to get everyone on board with what Fern & Fable represents.

“The community really blew us away,” she said. “I have people sponsoring these (banned) books so I’m able to give away these books every single week. It has been encouraging to see how many people are on board with keeping the freedom to read and availability of books to our students. There are some loud voices, but they are not all of the voices.”

Volusia County School Board District 2 candidate Cassie Gonyer stopped by Fern & Fable to support the launch of Banned Book Week. She and her family are avid readers which they like to turn into conversation. She said she likes to talk with her kids about what they are reading. 

“My family has pretty easy access to books but not all of my kids’ classmates do at Turie T. Elementary School,” she said. “It’s so important for our public school kids to have access to books at school. We’re making them go to school every day anyway, we might as well equip them with the books and education they need there at their schools.”

Gonyer said it is important that we keep the books on the shelves for our students.

“I think we should keep as many books on the shelves as we can,” she said. “I think a lot of times books get challenged because it makes one particular parent or group feel uncomfortable but there’s a whole other district of families that may look different than them that want to see themselves represented in books and so it’s important for them have access to those books to be able to see themselves. My kids go to a predominantly Black school and I want their classmates to be able to see themselves in books. I want my daughter to be able to read about characters that look like her classmates. It’s important that our kids have access to a variety of books and that we consider all families and parents viewpoints not just one particular parent or group of parents viewpoints.”

 

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