US Senator Alex Padilla and former senior advisor to Kamala Harris, Laphonza Butler, are participating in a 24-hour marathon reading of banned books on the Senate floor. The purpose of the event is to protest against legislation in various states that restricts what students can be taught about racism and other social issues. The pair are specifically targeting bills like Florida’s HB 233, which requires public colleges and universities to conduct annual surveys on the intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity at their institutions, and Texas’s HB3979, which limits public school teachers from discussing certain concepts about racism and sexism.
Want to know more about this unfolding event? Are you interested in the issues surrounding the censorship of books and the restriction of educational content? Click the link below to dive deeper into the story and understand how these US senators are taking a stand against educational constraints in the US.