Campaign Against
Prison Censorship
and Book Banning

 

 
Table of Contents

ps

The Absurdty and Depraviy of Mairoom Censorship

4. The Attack on Black Literature

By Lorenzo Kon"boa Ervin and JoNina Abron Erin
‘The Litespan of AntiLiteracy

‘By Wayland "X° Coleman
Censored

‘By Panda Insurgente

‘The Censorship of Political Art
By Steven Levy

Martin Sostre and the Destruction of
Censorship Reguiatons inthe 1960s and 1970s
‘By Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin.

 
 

‘Bach generation must discover its mission, ffl ie or betray tn relative :
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aly way tha hey can eve rc ny eating matt In his conte ht pron autores bre
‘ord mak the profi mor eel by nglemenig rious new eon sd pans to
pret tertarefem reaching people More ofa ha thy wy aie ney bead
lomepetaons fnew plo cover for pl nd aged repenion and ner fx
toes ud the humans. Th pron mall soni ang ple wie g-wng,
acta eying ta books rom publi tchoo and bre ging 2 ac con
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high secure federations by ply have previo sllowed hardcover books sent dct
fom the polisher, bot many are now implementing cher own inaizational supplement which vist
‘aio pale. Ar other spots they ar rzeny banning il bos, newspaper snd magains etic

Prison censorship includes the nation’s largest book ban, not just a few controversial
for unorthodox books, but hundreds of thousands of classics, Black literature
LGBTQ contents, educational books and college textbooks, among many others.
Prisoners are being denied many educational, mind opening, and entertaining
volumes, Books unite us all, despite the racial, sexual orientation or political belils
of the authors. We cannot allow the Right-wing politicians, fake parent groups, oF
other bodies from acting a out censors. Ii just in prison that they are doing all
this they are doing ill over American socity as wel. They want ideological and
political hegemony and conformity. Fighting book banning isa struggle against
fascism, We need to stand up, not back down in the face of unjust authority. o
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CBORD CPA

By Moyand “colar

Wry would U.S. prisons ~ the self-proclaised “champions of rehabilitation” —
bon books ond deen Literature to be contraband? In order to ke sense of
‘wis question, At 4s important for us to take a look at what contemporary
incarceration 1s, so that ve can analyze the psychosocial political
foundotion that has historically allowed one group of people to renave
Uteracy fron nother in order to secure physical, econonic, and inteltecteal
‘control and dosinance. why is there even a thing such as prohibiting titeracy
‘sn ony setting retated to the world’s "country of freedon” today, and what
fare the social, political, and econoaie patterns that have been able to
Ansidiously maneuver through, and escape generations of struggle to abolish
racisn, white suprenacy, and inequality in Anerikkla?-In order to address the
‘question of anti-Literacy in its conterporary form, we have to took back at
the historical events that shaped the idea of prohibiting Literacy in the
frst place, so that we can analyze st in its proper evolutionary context

We already know thatthe sociopolitical and economte strategy of prohibiting
Literacy in Aneritkka was born from the toad of AnerSkakan chattel slavery." @
writing titled"Let’s Make A Slave Kit, "(year unknown), WitLiamLynch ¢xpt24ned to
white slave owners that they could never let enslaved people

‘earn how to read. In his teachings to the slave owners about how to keep
Africans subjugated and in slavery for generations, he explained that if
enstoved people ever Learned to read, they would then vant to negotiate for
ewal treatsent, and would want to have discussions as “husons," and at that
point you would have lost a slave. where willie Lynch expressed @ concern for
AntetLigent negotiation for equality if the oppressed vere olloved Literacy,
Fredrick Douglass's story hightights the worl of white Han, that Literacy Could be
used asa tool to Literally escape oppression. To Literally gain

‘utonony and freedon. In 1740, several slave states adopted laws (poLitics]¥4a The
Negro Act, which riminalized the teaching of Blacks to read ond,

write.» The inportance of Literacy and ~ in relevonce to this particular
‘dialog ~ the strategy of banning 1t, has been expressed historically through
the institution of slavery. when we ask ourselves of what purpose/3) the
applications of anti-Literacy served, and we view it through {ts appropriate
‘ens, we find ample evidence of a racist intent to bvil6 and saintain white SuPTeMSCY
‘2nd superiority, anti-Blackness and Black inferiority:Or sinply Put, white mae
‘control over Black peoples’ bodies. ty is this history relevant to incarceration
today?

len the soldiers announced in 1865 that plantation stavery was abolished,
they did not announce that all forms of slavery would be abolished in this

. so-called Lond of “freedon.” Through the politics of Tegistation (tam
‘soking), the institution of slavery was allowed to exist in another fore.
Incarceration. The 138 Anendnent of the U.S. constitution-shich i the
political Language that would uttinately bring plantation slavery to its
nees-both abolished Slavery, and — under the sane breoth ~ nade an exception
clause for At to survive through the tines and through atl of the civit
stropates, s0 that vould snintoin its existence as art of Aneriekta's
vite suprenacist econontc culture generations into the future, Since the 1
‘Aneninent nade the exception that chattel slavery could exist 95
Dunisheent for criminal convictions, the institution of slavery was able to
symbiotically attach itself to the carceral systen, and preserve its
existence within this country 1a spite of all of the civil rights and Black
Liberation novenents. by rerouting Slavery’ anti-Olack ideals through
prisons, the “innate” becane the new, or contenporary chattel property, and att of
‘the dehumanization, atuses, social prejudices, attitudes, and stignas that
were attached to the enslaved, became applicable to the incarcerated party.

 
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‘Though incarcerated people are not considered to be Living “in slavery,
prisons have agoptes, ond insidiously aodified many of the practices,
Gteitudes, ond strategies of the chattel slave Institution. For example, the
Subject of this specific writing, anti-Literacy. Although there aay be legal
protections against the total prohibition of Literacy An Anerikkka, prisons
fre permitted to severely restrict Literary pursuits, including a restriction
‘on how auch Usterary material an incarcerated person can ovn and possess at
fhe tines In Massachusetts, incarcerated people are only permitted to own and
possess ten (18) books, magazines, of newspapers (183 OM. 493.10(2)(B)), of
Winich each kind of those reading aaterials counts tovards your restricted
number of books. For exaeple, Af you were to have three newspapers in your
possession, you would only be altoved to possess seven books. If we were to
fnelude e-magazine within these, we would be considered-by the institution ~
fas fover the Linit." At that point, our property could be confiscated, and we
Could be punished for having eleven books. By breeking the rules that
pronibit our Literary pursuits, the incarcerated person becomes subjected to
fodified whippings, in the newfangled fore of disciplinary sanctions, e.9-,
Toss of priviteges such as phone calls to fanily nenbers, canteen purchases,
visits, yord and gym tine, loss of tablet, or any other privileges thot the
nststution decides to use a5 its whip at the monent.

Prison todoy is 2 modernized institution for the preservation and
perpetuation of white patriarchal ideas of control, supremacy, and
profiteering from the oppression of poor, dehunanized human bodies, that are
politically targeted to be made inferior to essentiatly, upper and middle
Class white settler society.

1t As inportant to recognize that the ain purpose of Inprisonnent today ts
ass human warehousing. Beyond the profit motive, 1t is the targeted renoval
and disappearing of peaple who are crininalized by the state that renains its
primary sociat function. Yet the econonic idea of slavery was also based on
making waxinun profit by instituting a free-tabor workforce. Today, the only
Tow on the books that peraits slavery to exist in any form is the 13%"
hecodnents Because the 13°” Arendaent failed to abolish slavery in a prison
Setting, prisons over the years have been able to take on a corporate role,
Ghd novinize profits by instituting 9 free-labor workforce through
Incarcerated workers. Thowgh, most incarcerated workers earn $1 per doy for
heir servitwle, this one dollar paysent 1s sinply 2 slave's wage, ond pales
In conparison fo the sinimun wage of $15 dollars per hour sn Massachusetts —
far exonpte. Contemporary corporations Like Keefe Consissary Network,
Securus, CoreLinks, Welipath, etc-, have becone billionaires off of the
ssodernized oppression of hunan beings.

 

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Prison and slavery have @ symbiotic relationship that have atloved the
Institution of slavery to survive throvgh decades of civil struggle, ond
Minich peraits ~ via insigious political activity and social sgnorance ~ sany
Strategies and activities related to slave breaking and slave making to exist
[na contesporary setting. Because the Vanguage of slavery still exist on the
books tolay, prisons have been able to benefit fron a free-Labor workforce,
and corporations have been able to exploit billions of dollars fron the
Contenporarily oppressed. The history of anti-Literacy has shown us that
nti-titeracy was 2 controlling strategy, that was purposed to prevent the
Guining of Liberties by the oppressed. Anti-Uiteracy 15 necessary for prisons
fo function today, because through Literacy, the contenporarily oppressed and
Caged will gain Knowledge and education about the ways that ve are being
hnaniputated for the bene#St of the wealthy and the white, and incercerated
people nay leare how to nake the connections between stave resistance
practices and nodern practices a8 T have done here. If incarcerated people
bein a real understanding of how the system works, and of the mary ways in
winich we are bamboozled, people would be encouraged to protest these vite
“Conditions end strategies via intelLigent negotiation for equal treataent ~
fs Wittie Lynch cautioned against ~ for things Like, perhaps aininus wage.

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Midwest Books to Prisoners ($-S sasctions

1321 N. Milwaukee Ave PMB #4600 pee ceovest)
Chicago, tt 60622

 
1}NOT ONLY DO WE !
| DESIRE TO CHANGE OUR’
LIVES IMMEDIATELY, |
‘IT IS THE CRITERION BY,
(WHICH WE ARE SEEKING)
‘OUR ACCOMPLICES.

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