A resident of Cody, WY, recently filed a complaint calling for banning the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker, according to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.
Carol Armstrong, the woman who filed the complaint, argued that the book was “vulgar” and pornographic because it dealt with themes of rape and incest.
At a recent meeting, however, the Cody School District’s Educational Resource Complaint Committee voted unanimously to keep the book in the town’s school libraries, along with Ibram X. Kendi’s novel, “How to be an Antiracist,” which was also the source of complaint by a resident.
“How to Be an Antiracist” deals with the topic of racism and how individuals can take action to battle racism and address and make meaningful changes around the issue of race relations.
Much of the book deals with critical race theory, something which has been a topic of conversation at schools all over the country.
Despite these complaints, many people who attended the meeting wore purple to state that the book should remain in school libraries.
. Ultimately, the committee voted 9-0 to keep “The Color Purple” in libraries, arguing that students should be exposed to all points of view.
The parents who filed these complaints have the option of appealing this decision, and, moving forward, parents will have the opportunity to be notified via email of the books their children are checking out throughout the school year.
