He has stated, 'The only remedy to racist discrimination is anti-racist discrimination. Parents' challenges to school boards in districts whose reading lists featured the book included the argument that Kendi practiced, 'selective storytelling' and, 'does not encompass racism against all people.'įor his part Kendi – born Ibram Henry Rogers in Queens, the son of Methodist ministers Carol and Larry Rogers – makes no apology for preaching a discriminatory creed. He is the controversial poster boy for critical race theory and author of 'Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You,' listed by the American Libraries Association as one of the most banned and challenged books of 2020. Though his book is supposedly aimed at children aged 0-3, Kendi is not primarily a children's author. Kendi's confrontationally titled book starts with the assertion, 'Antiracist baby is bred, not born' and proceeds to set down nine steps for parents eager to rear 'accountable' children. Seeing the swell in demand and pre-orders the company ordered an additional 100,000. Against this sales frenzy, Penguin Young Readers tripled their print-run of Ibram X Kendi's 'Antiracist Baby.' The book's initial print run was 50,000. Sales of 'White Fragility' by Robin Diangelo jumped by 2000 per cent. On June 1, Libro.fm, a company that partners with 1,200 bookstores in the US and Canada to sell audiobooks, reported that every book on its top ten sellers list was about race and that the titles had sold 500 per cent more than on May 1. Penguin Young Readers tripled their print-run of Ibram X Kendi's 'Antiracist Baby.' The book's initial print run was 50,000. Some parents called the event 'child abuse.'
The Dolley Madison Library had previously earned backlash from the community after hosting a 'Drag Queen Story Hour,' where they invited a drag queen to read to children and celebrate diversity. 'Gender Queer,' by Maia Kobabe, includes pictures of intimate acts between two males, and 'Lawn Boy,' by Jonathan Evison, features long sections about a young man reminiscing about explicit experiences he had and discusses homophobia and racism.
The books were removed, but returned to the shelves the following month. In October, Langton and several parents and students in Fairfax County had called on the county school district to remove 'Gender Queer' and 'Lawn Boy' from the schools' libraries. Nicole Solas, another Twitter user wrote, 'What's up with the gnomes displaying porn for kids next to the Bible?' If you don't think this is cultural engineering, you're not paying attention.' One Twitter user with the handle name Pearson Sharp wrote, 'Fairfax County in Virginia is putting books depicting graphic, homosexual sex scenes between a 10 year old boy and an adult man in its school libraries. 'It was intentional, it was meant to be offensive,' Langton, who plans to hold a protest against the library on Saturday, told Fox. Langton claimed the display 'mocks my efforts to remove #PornInSchools and mocks Christianity.' She rejected the idea that the library's was not trying to be offensive. The holiday display sparked outrage online with claims the 'Gender Queer' and 'Lawn Boy' depicted pedophiliaĪmong those leading the outrage against the display was Stacy Langton, who shared a photo of it on Twitter. Rainbows are typically used to represent the LGBTQ community. The gnome paired with The Bible had one a rainbow hat with other rainbow accessories attached to it. The gnome paired with 'Lawn Boy' had a yellow hat and purple beard, and the gnome with the 'Gender Queer' had a purple hat and yellow beard. The holiday display featured colorful gnomes with long hats paired up with each book. 'The Dolley Madison Library holiday reading display was intended to highlight the freedom to read and the fact that many library patrons have more time during the holidays to do so.' 'It was not the intention of staff to create a display that could be construed as offensive,' Fairfax County Public Library Director Jessica Hudson told Fox News.
The Dolley Madison Library in Fairfax County, Virginia, took down the entire display hours after it was put up on Tuesday following complaints from parents that the books feature pedophilia and were not suited for children nor the holiday season.
A library sparked fury from parents after putting the books ‘Gender Queer’ and ‘Lawn Boy’ on its Christmas holiday reading display shelf next to The Bible.