Central to both Kolvenbach and King are the pleas for people to recognize oppression and actively help instrument societal growth. Kolvenbach states, "personal involvement with innocent suffering, with the injustice others suffer, is the catalyst for solidarity which then gives rise to intellectual inquiry and moral reflection" (34). Kolvenbach urges Jesuit educators to incorporate empathy into education to create "whole" persons. His statement perfectly articulates why books such as The Color Purple should remain off the banned books list. The Color Purple gifts a new world perspective, allowing students to think about society more broadly and with less self-interest. The audience gets the experience of a poor, uneducated, Black, lesbian woman in the early nineteen hundreds. Hopefully, students recognize similar structures of oppression still alive in society today and are inspired to stand in solidarity with those victims. Unfortunately, people tend to take a more conservative approach in allocating reading materials to students. 

They are too restrictive to overlook controversial scenes to appreciate the broader message. I recently saw a video that illustrates this exact problem. An interviewer asked if a book containing the story of two girls getting their father drunk to coerce him into sex should be allowed in schools. Everyone interviewed was repulsed and said absolutely not. The interviewer then said that the story is in the Bible, so the Bible should not be taught in schools by their logic. Everyone then backtracked and said the Bible should be taught. The video clip proves that oftentimes the message of the book is far greater than any violent, sexual, or crude stories it may contain. This is the case for The Color Purple. Many people have opposed the violent characterization of Black men, the inclusion of a lesbian relationship, and the graphic accounts of sexual and domestic violence. However, the message of hope in the face of oppression, and finding and embracing one's identity outweighs those scenes. Moreover, reading about this trauma and experiencing the visceral reactions creates the opportunity for students to get a glimpse at oppressive forces. As Kolvenbach argues, this experience is a catalyst. 

Video


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why Ban Bronx Masquerade?

As I was reading Nikki Grimes’ Bronx Masquerade, I could not figure out why this book was banned. While I am vehemently against the idea of banning books as a whole, usually I can at least identify why some parties want to censor certain stories. I understand why The Color Purple was banned by conservative forces for its depiction of sexual assault and homosexuality even if I believe that those things have no right to be censored by interest groups with no connection to those experiences. Bronx Masquerade perplexed me, however, as most of its more mature themes are in the background. It did not linger on some of these heavy topics in a way that I thought could lend some to censor it. The bulk of the story explores the writings of Mr. Ward’s students. While many have tragic backgrounds that deal with heavy topics, they are all referenced and referred to in the past tense. None of these darker ideas are lingered on or shown in the present like in The Color Purple. For example, one of the
Read more

Charlotte is Dead and Why That is Real

 Here is the first passage I read from my copy of George . It is the last statement of the FAQ (AOTAWTS). (It should be understood that Alex is talking explicitly as the author.) It is the last page of my copy before the About the Author section. I recommend reading all of this section. " I'm so glad I understand transgender people now. Okay. This isn't a question, but I'm adding it here anyway. George is only one story. It is the story of a white, middle-class transgender girl growing up near New York City, written by a white, middle-class genderqueer person who grew up on Staten Island, New York. Every transgender story is different, just as we are all different. Race, money, disability, and other realities further impact these differences . I will add that you don't need to understand someone to respect them, so while I'm glad you have a greater insight into Melissa's experience, I hope you also learned from Mom, Kelly, Scott, Jeff, Rick, Ms. Udell, amd
Read more

Two Main Insights for CRT Dialogue

1. Banning books is a way to push the white supremacist agenda, as seen through the case in York, PA when they banned 270+ books about black and brown experiences. This was also demonstrated through the specific banning of The Hate U Give for reasons such as youth activism and revolution.  2. Keeping books on separate shelves makes people feel invalidated about their life experiences, whether that includes their sex, gender, race, or sexuality. This is especially prevalent for young minds that are not fully developed, because if they see themselves as "other," they will begin to believe it. 
Read more