In an effort to highlight New Mexico's dedication to ensuring access to diverse educational materials, New Mexico's Higher Education Department, Early Childhood Education & Care Department, and Public Education Department are collaborating during this year's observance of Banned Books Week, titled "Let Freedom Read." They are collectively emphasizing the importance of diverse subjects and perspectives within the state according to a press release.
The New Mexico Early Childhood Education & Care Department announced, "New Mexico authors have also been targeted by book bans."
Running from October 1st to 7th, Banned Books Week is a campaign designed to spotlight the detrimental repercussions of censorship and efforts to limit access to reading materials according to a press release.
“Banned books often contain the truths that society is hesitant to confront. By sidelining them, we risk stifling voices that challenge, voices that inspire, and voices that heal. As educators and advocates for the future, it is our duty to ensure that young minds have access to diverse narratives. For it is through understanding and dialogue that we craft a more inclusive and harmonious world,” said Public Education Department Secretary Arsenio Romero according to a press release.
“Sharing stories with young children is a fundamental part of early learning,” said ECECD Cabinet Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky according to a press release. “Access to age-appropriate books that illustrate the wonderful diversity of culture, language, and human experience is so important for helping children understand the world around them and developing their self-esteem and identity.”
“In a time where literature aimed at readers of all ages is being fiercely challenged in the United States, New Mexico stands apart as a state that believes in the importance of representing the lived histories and present-day realities of people and groups from diverse backgrounds. As a professor of Chicana/o/x literature, a literary scholar, and a lifelong literary advocate, I firmly believe that storytelling is an essential part of reckoning with our past and present and moving toward healing in our communities,” said Acting Higher Education Secretary Patricia Trujillo, Ph.D according to a press release.
