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Dr. Seuss Quote Banned in Canadian Classrooms

by Betsy Gomez • April 26, 2012 • Comments Off

According to one school district in British Columbia, Canadian teachers shouldn’t be allowed to display a quote by Dr. Seuss. The Prince Rupert School District banned a quote from Seuss’s classic Yertle the Turtle from classrooms after declaring that the quote violated a district policy against political speech in classrooms. Basically, the district declared the quote “too political.”

More details on the ban after the jump…

CBLDF is an official sponsor of Banned Books Week, which takes place September 30 – October 6, 2012. Banned Books Week is dedicated to “celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment.” CBLDF is creating tools that retailers and librarians can use during this year’s 30th Anniversary Banned Books Week Celebration to raise awareness of challenged and banned comics and graphic novels. To get a headstart on the festivities, please check out the CBLDF Rewards Zone, where we have items such as our “I Read Banned Comics” t-shirt available to help raise money for this important program. If you have a First Amendment emergency, call 1-800-99-CBLDF!

ACLU Connects the Comics Code and Video Game Bill

by Betsy Gomez • April 25, 2012 • Comments Off

In a recent post, Gabe Rottman with the ACLU discussed the connection between the self-censorship of comics and HR 4204, a bill introduced in Congress that requires that all games with a rating above E (for Everyone) carry a label warning parents that exposure to violent video games has been linked to violent behavior. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has already voiced their opposition to the bill, starting a a letter-writing campaign to legislators.

Rottman begins the article with a rundown of the events that led to the censorship of comics, including the publication of Fredric Wertham’s specious Seduction of the Innocent and Congressional showboating on the issue. Click through for excerpts from Rottman’s article linking the Comics Code with today’s furor over violence in video games.

The CBLDF has been active in opposing such laws and bills such as HR 4204. In the Brown v. EMA case, we wrote an amicus curiae brief citing the history of attempts to curb constitutionally protected content, including the Comics Code. The brief was cited by the Supreme Court in their majority decision to strike down a California law that would have made violent speech a category of unprotected speech, alongside obscenity.

Comics-On Tees Submissions Online, Challenge Ends Soon!

by Betsy Gomez • April 24, 2012 • Comments Off

Threadless and CBLDF announced the Comics-On Tees vol. 6 Design Challenge at C2E2, and submissions have started rolling in! Artists are creating their vision of Neil Gaiman’s original script, The Day the Saucers Came, and the winner of the contest will have their work printed on the first of four Comics-On Tees shirts, alongside Ben Templesmith (Fell, 30 Days of Night), Brandon Graham (Prophet, King City), and John Cassaday (Captain America, Planetary).

Threadless’s community of 1.8 million members will pick the final design, and the chosen shirt will be revealed at Comic-Con International in San Diego. Submissions are open until May 4, 2012, and fans can follow the submissions here. When the four-part series is released, 25% of the proceeds will benefit CBLDF’s important First Amendment work.

Artists: the challenge ends soon, so get to work on your submissions! For more details on the contest, visit the Threadless Atrium here. For more from CBLDF about the contest, check out this article.

CBLDF Executive Director Joins Everyday Superheroes for 37th Annual Long Island Library Conference

by Betsy Gomez • April 23, 2012 • Comments Off

On Thursday, May 3, 2012, CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein will join librarians, patrons, and educators from throughout Long Island for the 37th Annual Long Island Library Conference. This educational forum provides instructive programming and networking opportunities that help improve the quality of libraries in the Long Island community. This year’s theme: Everyday Superheroes at Your Library.

Brownstein will be speaking from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. about the particular concerns of graphic novels in libraries during “With Great Stories Comes Great Responsibility.” The website describes the program:

Whether you call them comics, graphic novels, or manga, books telling stories by blending words and pictures have changed the world of reading. Learn about the great power that the many categories of comics hold for your patrons and explore the responsibilities we face in helping them navigate these brave new worlds. Charles Brownstein provides an overview of the world of comics and addresses common challenge issues in a talk affirming why comics are a vital aspect of the 21^st century library environment.

Please join Brownstein and fellow library lovers for the 37th Annual Long Island Library Conference, happening May 3, 2012, at the Melville Marriot (1350 Old Walt Whitman Road, Melville, New York 11747). You can register for the conference here. Space at the conference is limited, so register soon!

Columbia University Posts Video from COMIC NEW YORK: A SYMPOSIUM

by Betsy Gomez • April 20, 2012 • Comments Off

by Betsy Gomez

I don’t know about the rest of you, but as a West Coast gal, I was pretty bereft that I couldn’t attend Comic New York: A Symposium, the two-day event that brought together comics creators and academics to discuss American comics and the role New York City played in their establishment. I love New York and would have loved the chance to see CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein, CBLDF founder Denis Kitchen, and CBLDF board member Paul Levitz share their takes on comics and the city that molded them.

I got a good piece of news this week, though: The nice folks at Columbia University have uploaded videos of the programming at the symposium! Check out the videos after the jump.

CBLDF Heads to LA for the Festival of Books!

by Betsy Gomez • April 20, 2012 • Comments Off

CBLDF Deputy Director Alex Cox is headed to the West Coast this weekend for the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, joining a cadre of authors and book lovers for the annual celebration of the printed word! If you live in the area, head over the University of Southern California campus this weekend for sunshine and literature!

Come by booth #856 to show your support for CBLDF and mingle with fellow supporters of Free Speech. CBLDF will have a vast array of signed premiums on hand for readers of all ages. We’ll have some of the world’s greatest comics, including Maus, Watchmen, Sandman, The Walking Dead, and Understanding Comics, all signed by their creators to support the fight for Free Speech! And that’s just the beginning! You’ll also be able to pick up your own “I Read Banned Comics” t-shirt and other apparel, tote bags, button sets, and more.

CBLDF is also delighted to have some amazing creators signing at booth #856. On Saturday, at 2:00 p.m, you’ll be able to get autographs from Sam Humphries, the writer behind the cult hit Our Love Is Real and Fraggle Rock and The Ultimates. On noon on Sunday, we’ll be joined by Lev Grossman, the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Magicians and The Magician King!

The weather forecasts are sunny for this weekend’s Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, so please join CBLDF at booth #856 this weekend to support Free Speech and celebrate books!

CBLDF’s History of Comics Censorship Presentation, Annotated by Joe Sergi’s Cup of Geek

by cbldf • April 19, 2012 • Comments Off

Joe Sergi, blogger for Cup of Geek went to the CBLDF presentation The History (And Future) of Comics Censorship at C2E2 last weekend and wrote an extensive recap of the panel, with additional research and annotations by the author. CBLDF is pleased to represent Sergi’s post in full as a resource for our members and supporters. Read Sergi’s post after the jump.

Chicago Shows Huge Support At C2E2!

by cbldf • April 18, 2012 • Comments Off

Last weekend the CBLDF team was at C2E2 in Chicago where we launched a huge t-shirt project with Threadless, delivered a presentation on the history of comics censorship, signed up over 30 new members, and raised more than $7,300 for our important work. CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein recaps the festivities after the jump!

Kurt Vonnegut’s Letter to the Man Who Burnt His Books

by Betsy Gomez • April 17, 2012 • Comments Off

On occasion, the victims of censorship take the opportunity to face their censors directly. However, few artists respond with the humor and aplomb exhibited in a letter written in 1973 to Charles McCarthy, the head of the school board at Drake High School in North Dakota. The author of this letter? Kurt Vonnegut.

Click through for excerpts from Vonnegut’s letter…

Protestors Take Over Tucson School Board Meeting

by Betsy Gomez • April 16, 2012 • Comments Off

Last week, the Tucson Unified School Board voted 3-2 against renewing the contract for Sean Arce, the director of the school district’s disbanded Mexican American Studies program, in spite of support voiced during the public-comment period of the meeting. In response, protestors tied themselves together with zip ties and chanted in support of the MAS program. No one was injured or arrested during the protest despite tightened security at recent school board meetings.

Click through for more about the latest developments in the Tucson book ban…

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