When word got out that three books written by people of color were prohibited from use in teaching grade 6-8 students in Peoria Unified School District classrooms, it caused a stir among parents and teachers.
But as more information became available, it appeared the process of elimination was more about age appropriateness than the district’s "No DEI" policy, which drew controversy when it was approved by a 4-1 governing board vote last December.
The conversation has centered on the prohibition of three books, one written by a Latina and two by Africa Americans: “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave,” by Frederick Douglass, “A Raisin in the Sun,” a play by Lorraine Hansberry, and “Summer of the Mariposas,” a novel for young audiences by Guadalupe Garcia McCall.
