Tim Wise
The mass removal, which includes Maya Angelou's acclaimed memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, has prompted an immediate response from Democratic lawmakers and affected authors alike, raising concerns about academic freedom and First Amendment rights at the nation's elite military institutions.
Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee, and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) are demanding answers from the secretaries of the Army, Navy and Air Force about the book removals. On Monday, they sent letters seeking detailed information about the process and rationale behind what critics are calling an unprecedented act of censorship.
"If true, this is a blatant attack on the First Amendment and a clear effort to suppress academic freedom and rigor at the United States Naval Academy," they wrote."Moreover, it displays an alarming return to McCarthy-era censorship."
Author and antiracist scholar Tim Wise, whose books were among those removed, expressed his dismay at the situation. Wise has written extensively on issues of race and privilege in America, and his works have been used in educational settings across the country, including at military academies.
"It seems as though the Naval Academy, as with so many other institutions — from K-12 schools to colleges — is capitulating to the current erasure of equity and inclusion, even in their libraries," Wise told Diverse. "Essentially they are removing any books that address the legacy of racism in this country at all. Not because those volumes fail to offer valid perspectives with documentation, but because the perspectives offered offend the current administration."
The lawmakers have specifically asked the military academies to provide information about who directed the removal of books, the criteria used to select titles for removal, and whether the books have been permanently taken from academy shelves or simply relocated. They have also requested a complete list of all materials that have been removed.
