rich 1.0 Action Network https://actionnetwork.org <link href='https://actionnetwork.org/css/style-embed-v3.css' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' /><script src='https://actionnetwork.org/widgets/v6/letter/reinstate-maus?format=js&source=widget'></script><div id='can-letter-area-reinstate-maus' style='width: 100%'><!-- this div is the target for our HTML insertion --></div> National Campaign for Justice https://actionnetwork.org/groups/just-strategy https://actionnetwork.org//images/generic_facebook.jpg Maus is the Pulitzer-prize winning graphic novel by Art Spiegelman with cat-and-mouse cartoon figures about his Jewish parents’ experiences in the Holocaust in 1940’s Poland. It is engaging and it is disturbing, as any book must be that deals accurately with the history of the Holocaust. Now, the McMinn County School Board in Tennessee decided to remove Maus from its 8th-grade curriculum. The reasons cited? “Inappropriate language” and an illustration of a nude woman (in mouse-like form). The School Board conversation concerned 8 so-called “curse” words and the picture of the nude woman (mouse). Director of Schools Lee Parkinson suggested redacting those 8 words and the picture, but this idea was jettisoned due to copyright concerns, so instead the book was rejected completely. The Board said it would find an alternative book to teach about the Holocaust, but no suggestions were offered. In the words of Board chairman Sharon Brown, “That falls under another topic for another day.” Author Art Spiegelman expressed shock over the decision, saying he was “baffled” and his impression was that the Board was asking “Why can’t they teach a nicer Holocaust?” The U.S. Holocaust Museum also spoke up in defense of the book, tweeting “Maus has played a vital role in educating about the Holocaust through sharing detailed and personal experiences of victims and survivors. Teaching about the Holocaust using books like Maus can inspire students to think critically about the past and their own roles and responsibilities today.” The reality is the banning of this book is part of a larger movement to eliminate the voices of people of diverse ethnicity and LGBTQ+ identities from public schools and public libraries. From New York to Texas, California to South Carolina, and just about every state in between, lawmakers have required school librarians, teachers and superintendents to review and eliminate materials considered “inappropriate.” In Tennessee, that means 13 and 14 years olds will no longer have access to this award winning novel. Click ‘START WRITING’ to sign and send a direct message calling on the McMinn County Director of Schools, Lee Parkinson, to reinstate the book Maus for use in 8th grade curriculum and school libraries now. https://actionnetwork.org/letters/reinstate-maus