PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia high school students from George Washington High School handed out banned books and rallied outside City Hall Wednesday against what they called censorship for National Banned Books Week.
About two dozen students engaged in trivia games with people passing by and gave out applications for library cards. Senior Paris Waters stood behind a table of books identified by the American Library Association as some of the most-often restricted by school boards and governments. She said the freedom to read is important to her.
"It's just a way for me to get away. So if other people would like that, I would like them to have the opportunity to," said Waters.
Eleventh grader Aymane Moussiliou also took a stand against school districts and governments removing books from libraries.
"Taking away books, to me, is the same as taking away knowledge," said Moussiliou.
Banning books hasn't been much of an issue in the Philadelphia School District, but it's made headlines in some suburban districts. George Washington English teacher Emily Cohen, who organized the event, said parents should have the ultimate say over what their children may read.
"I think any book that is accessible academically to a child, intellectually, should be available to them. But the line in the sand is really up to that child's family," said Cohen.
Cohen said she hopes her students come away from the City Hall action with more of an interest in reading, and a better awareness of the issues around what they're allowed to read.