By Seth I. Pickens
Executive Features Editor
On May 20, Mira Costa’s Banned Books Club held the Freedom to Learn Summit at Lawndale Library in collaboration with PEN America, a national nonprofit organization that fights against censorship of literature.
Sophomore Gianna Goodman-Bhyat founded Costa’s Banned Books Club in September in response to the surge of book bans around the country. According to Goodman-Byhat, she views her club as a way to combat ignorance and hate.
“I started the Banned Books Club this year, primarily in response to the rise in book bans throughout the U.S.” Goodman-Bhyat said. “I also wanted to stop the rise of hate and bigotry within our own campus, which I feel is very much fueled by ignorance. We needed to create a space at Costa where we could help reduce ignorance.”
Being in charge of the Banned Books Club hasn’t been easy for Goodman-Bhyat. She says that there were many adjustments she had to make in order to make the club a more engaging and interesting experience for her club members.
“Initially, our main focus was reading books and talking about them,” Goodman-Bhyat said. “We acted more like a regular book club, but that was a huge time investment everyone wasn’t able to undertake. I realized there were many better ways to realize our goals and decided to have more of a focus on how to prevent book bans.”
The Banned Books Club’s Freedom to Learn Summit had a very positive reception from its attendants. According to sophomore club member Anfissa Pruitt, being a part of the summit was a great experience.
“The club has been really interesting,” Pruitt said. “I enjoyed being able to be a part of that experience. Going to the Summit allowed me to share something I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to.”
Goodman-Bhyat contacted PEN America through its Free Expression and education program manager, Nicholas Perez, a Costa alumni. When she first began her club, Goodman-Bhyat remembered Perez’s speech to her MUN class during her freshman year and decided to contact him seeking guidance for her club.
“When I started the club, I remembered that he had talked to us about PEN America last year,” Goodman-Bhyat said. “I contacted him via e-mail to tell him what we were doing at Costa and asked if he would be interested in supporting us. After talking to him on a Zoom call, he decided to speak to our club, and we began working together.”
After speaking for the Banned Books Club, Perez began working with the club members to hold the Freedom to Learn Summit. The summit itself was split into three workshops where club members and a guest speaker educated participants on why book bans are harmful and the most practical ways to combat them.
“The first workshop focused on the state of book bans in America,” Goodman-Bhyat said. “The second one had club members share anecdotes about how certain banned books changed their lives. Then we ended with a guest speaker, Brooke Harper [a parent and activist based in Orange County], who talked about practical ways to fight book bans.”
Costa’s Banned Books Club plans to ramp things up during next school year by hosting more events. According to Goodman-Bhyat, the club is planning to run events on campus during Banned Books Week in October.
“This event was like a practice run for what we are planning to do in October,” Goodman-Bhyat said. “We’re planning to have a series of events around campus and the community. We’re currently working with [Manhattan Beach Middle School] to talk to the students about banned books and gauge their interest in creating another branch of the club on their campus.”
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