Mississippi school follows others in banning ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’

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Schools across the nation have been banning “To Kill A Mockingbird” for years due to the uncensored use of racist terms.

The latest banning came from Biloxi, Mississippi, where school board vice president Kenny Holloway stated to the Sun Herald that there is, “Some language in the book that makes people uncomfortable.” The school did not specify which part of the language was uncomfortable, but speculation is it is most likely due to the usage of the n-word. Claiming that there are other ways to teach the same lesson, the book’s removal has caused a protest that even a U.S. Senator has taken a stand upon.

“This is a terrible decision,” tweeted Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse. “It’s one of our few shared stories — in a nation with far too many few shared stories right now.”

Many schools, including Randall High, use the book as a literary masterpiece, where students analyze the language, especially the usage of words that add to the tone of the piece. The book, about a little girl whose lawyer father is fighting for a wrongly accused black man, is used as the perfect example of the comparison of racial inequality compared to the times then and now.

The book has a long list of formal efforts to ban the book, most containing complaints of profanity and racial slurs, in middle schools, junior highs, and even high schools. The banning of the book has raised questions about what is and isn’t acceptable in schools, causing the book to be the most challenged and banned classic.

The information in this article is from The Washington Post and The American Library Association