A Panel on Book Bans and the Right to Read in K-8 Schools and Libraries

Oct 25, 2023 | 5:30 - 7:30pm | Boulder Public Library - Canyon Theatre

Part of the 5th Annual Children's Book Festival, partnered with the CU Boulder's School of Education.

In response to the alarming surge in challenges to literature, the Center for Humanities & the Arts (CHA) is taking a stand. The CHA is co-sponsoring a panel titled "Book Censorship and Honoring the Right to Read in K-8 Schools and Libraries" at the upcoming Children's Book Festival. The event aims to shed light on the critical issue of book bans and the preservation of academic freedom in educational institutions.

We invite teachers, students, families, librarians, and all who are concerned about book bans and challenges to join us for the panel on Book Censorship and Honoring the Right to Read in K-8 Schools and Libraries. This panel event will take place on October 25, from 5:30pm - 7:30pm at the Canyon Theater & Gallery -  (Main Library). Opportunity to purchase the festival authors’ books, signing, and a reception will follow the panel.

Panelists

Jo Currier is an accomplished educator holding a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies and a Master of Arts in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Currently pursuing an EdD in Educational Studies: Innovation and Reform, Jo brings over five years of valuable classroom experience to our panel. As a local teacher and devoted parent with children attending schools in the community, she is committed to bridging the opportunity gap while enhancing equitable access for young learners and their families. 

David Farnan is the Director of Boulder Public Library. He has been a public librarian for nearly 30 years.  His work is guided by the fundamental principles of librarianship and he remains motivated to create a free and open public space that is welcoming to all, an unwavering commitment to ensuring the privacy of the individual's use of the library, and the belief that it is the public library's responsibility to resist censorship in all its forms.  He believes the best way to demonstrate our belief in the freedom of speech is to exercise that right. 

Andrea Wang is an acclaimed author of children’s books. Her picture book Watercress was awarded the Caldecott Medal, a Newbery Honor, the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, and a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor, among other accolades. Her other books, The Many Meanings of Meilan, Luli and the Language of Tea, Magic Ramen, and The Nian Monster, have also received awards and starred reviews. Her work explores culture, creative thinking, and identity. She lives in Colorado with her family. For more information about Andrea and her books, visit www.andreaywang.com. 

Adam Crawley, Moderator, Ph.D. is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Literacy Studies in the School of Education at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Prior to joining CU-Boulder, Adam was faculty at the University of Texas at Austin and Oklahoma State University. He earned his doctorate at the University of Georgia and was an elementary teacher in public schools for twelve years. Adam brings experience supporting children's book award programs and conferences and serves as the faculty co-chair of the Children's Book Festival sponsored by the School of Education and Boulder Book Store. His teaching, research, and service focus on the use and censorship of culturally diverse children's literature in elementary contexts, especially related to LGBTQ+ representations. 

Event Hosts

This event is in partnership with the CU Boulder's School of Education, , , and the CU Boulder Center for Humanities and the Arts (CHA).

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Antisemitism and Being Jewish in the US

This panel discussion focused on the rise of antisemitism in the last decade—a rise that some might say has never disappeared and has resurfaced with events like the march on Charlottesville, the attack on the Tree of Life synagogue, and recent comments by celebrities. This event was part of the semi-annual Difficult Dialogues event — a series of panel conversations that bring together people from on and off campus to discuss challenging issues from their own perspectives.

It is hard to know how to talk about antisemitism, and this difficult dialogue engaged with multiple topics as well as what it means to be Jewish today, especially in a multi-religious and multi-racial space such as Boulder county. Among the questions our panelists pondered was is: “How does antisemitism manifest in our communities today?", "Are Jews white?", "How is antisemitism different from or similar to to other forms of racism, bias, exclusion, and discrimination?", "Is criticism of Israel antisemitic?"

Event Information

• Registration:
• Date: Wednesday, September 13, 2023
• Time: Doors Open: 6:30pm  |  Event Timeframe: 7pm - 8:30pm  
• Location: in-person at Grace Commons Church, Oerter Hall: 1820 15th Street, Boulder, CO 80302
• Flyer Download: www.colorado.edu/cha/sites/default/files/attached-files/fall_dd_print_flyer-antisemitism_and_being_jewish_09.13.2023.pdf
• Event is free and open to the public. This event will not be recorded.

Panelists 

Dr. Alex Bulkacz, MD, is a family medicine physician who has practiced in Colorado for over 30 years. He has experienced antisemitism in both the professional setting as well as personal, particularly during my time growing up in the American South but also here in Colorado. Dr. Bulkacz attended the Medical College of Pennsylvania and completed his residency in family medicine at the University of Colorado Hospital in Denver.

Gregg Drinkwater, PhD, inaugural Program Director for the UC Berkeley Antisemitism Education Initiative (AEI)

Dr. Gregg Drinkwater is the inaugural Program Director for the UC Berkeley (AEI), a project of the Center for Jewish Studies. An award-winning writer, educator, trainer, researcher, and organizational leader, Drinkwater’s work is rooted in fostering inclusive communities. He earned a PhD in U.S. History at the University of Colorado, Boulder, with a specialization in Jewish history and LGBTQ history. As a visiting professor at Boulder and at Rutgers University, Drinkwater has taught courses on American Jewish history; genocide and the Holocaust; queer U.S. history; gender and sexuality in Judaism; and global Jewish history from the ancient world to the present. Starting in 2003, Drinkwater served as the founding executive director of Jewish Mosaic, a national Jewish LGBTQ organization, where he built and managed a team across multiple cities, designed and oversaw the creation of a library of Jewish community resources, and conducted research, trainings, and conferences on issues of inclusion. 

Stacey Aviva Flint is a longtime nonprofit professional in the areas of  Community Development and Jewish Engagement. She hails from a multicultural family of five generations and is passionate about relationship building to combat racism and antisemitism. Stacey is a national and internationally sought speaker and writer with Universities, Jewish institutions, and various coalitions of Jews of Color.

Jerry Pinsker, Chair of the Boulder Steering Committee of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL)

Jerry spent 31 years as a middle school educator, 5 in the NYC public schools and 26 in the Aurora Public Schools. Since retiring, Jerry has been a facilitator for the Anti-Defamation League's World of Difference program working with public school students throughout Colorado on anti-bias and diversity education. In addition, Jerry is a facilitator for ADL’s Words to Action program, working with Jewish students on strategies to recognize and combat antisemitism. Along with his work with ADL, Jerry was the facilities director for the Boulder Jewish Community Center. Jerry has lived in Boulder for over 45 years with his wife of 50 years, Marilyn. Both are founding members of Congregation Bonai Shalom. He has two children, Rachel and Aaron, one son-in-law Ryan and a granddaughter Daliah.  

Pedro Silva, CHA Community Advisory Board member and former pastor at Boulder’s First Congregational UCC

Pedro Silva, YOUnify Director of Engagement, grew up with a Jewish mother and is the former pastor at Boulder’s First Congregational UCC. With his background, Pedro brings a unqiue perspective to this panelist discussion. For 3 years, Pedro served as the State Representative for the Boulder Caucus of Together Colorado, an organization of the Faith In Action Network, where he worked on a variety of issues at the local to state levels from affordable housing, gun violence, and voting to living wage legislation and the Family Leave Act. Pedro has hosted numerous in person and online conversations on race in Boulder County, has been an advocate for the homeless community, and has made a mark on the bridging movement through his volunteer work with Living Room Conversations and now as a Director of Engagement with YOUnify.

Rabbi Marc Soloway has been Bonai Shalom’s Spiritual Leader in Boulder, CO since 2004, the same year that he was ordained at The Ziegler School for Rabbinic Studies at The American Jewish University in Los Angeles. His rabbinical training spanned six years in London, Jerusalem, and Los Angeles. Before that, he was an actor and storyteller in his native London, and developed and performed a spirited one-man show of Jewish stories called The Empty Chair, as well as a show for children called The Jewish Princess and Other Stories with the acclaimed Besht Tellers Theatre Company. Marc is a fellow of Rabbis without Borders, an alum of the Institute of Jewish Spirituality, the former chair of Hazon’s rabbinical council and was in the Forward’s 2014 list of America’s most influential rabbis. Marc values dialogue and diversity and strives to integrate creativity, spirituality and sustainability into his life and his work.

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