As this year’s Banned Books Week draws to a close, we here at AbyD have mixed emotions. On the one hand, we don’t believe in banning books. We believe STRONGLY in freedom of speech.
And yet…and yet….
There are hate-filled books out there, and they are poisoning people’s minds. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they all disappeared…POOF!...and weren’t around to influence people negatively against other people?
There is hate literature on all sides…against Blacks…against Latinos…against immigrants of any nationality…against Moslems…against Jews…against members of the LGBTQ community…even against women.
In our flood of mixed emotions, not believing in censorship even while wishing that hate literature would go away, we are reminded of the words of Evelyn Beatrice Hall, who originated the quote often misattributed to Patrick Henry, "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
Here at AbyD, we fight hate in our own way. We are what is called a diversity publisher. While not every book we publish is either by or about someone from a minority group, many of our books are. From Just Indian to Dance of the Antelope to Abuelita’s Tree to Cain and Abel to This Is My Story…and that is by no means all our diversity titles…we are proud to publish books by and/or about people from minority backgrounds.
We’ll keep fighting hate in our own way: by sending positive images out into the world to counter the hate.
We hope you’ll join us.
The staff of AcuteByDesign
