“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” – First Amendment

Students read to one another in candlelight on the steps of Dallas Hall last night at the annual Banned Books Vigil in honor of National Banned Books Week.

The Sigma Tau Delta sponsored event celebrated literature and examined reasons behind censorship in schools, libraries and bookstores.

According to the American Library Association, Banned Books Week “celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them.”

Jason Couture, president of the SMU chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, said, “We are here to remember and acknowledge that books are still banned, despite the first amendment.”

Couture read Slaughter House Five by Kurt Vonnegut, reminding those present that the novel was banned in some states because of religious references and had been challenged because of violence and foul language.

“Banned Books Week is really pushed by the American Library Association,” said Melissa Baland, former president of Sigma Tau Delta. “It’s a time when libraries recognize books suffering from censorship.”

Sarah Zorger, Secretary of Sigma Tau Delta, agreed.

“We want to raise awareness about different kinds of literature and censorship within it,” she said.

Baland opened her reading by repeating a quote by Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas: “Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily defeat us.”

She continued, quoting Benjamin Franklin: “Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.”

Baland read an excerpt from To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, and introduced the novel, saying, “I think [censorship is] where the real terror lies – when you shut people up.”

Books usually are challenged with the best intentions: to protect others, frequently children, from difficult ideas and information such as sexual content or offensive language.

According to the American Library Association, parents, and only parents, have the right and the responsibility to restrict the access of their children (and only their children) to library resources. Censorship by librarians of constitutionally protected speech, whether for protection or for any other reason, violates the first amendment.”

Phil Kerby, a former editor of the Los Angeles Times, agrees that censorship is just an aspect of human nature.

“Censorship is the strongest drive in human nature; sex is a weak second,” he said.

The top three reasons, in order, for challenging material are: the material is considered to be “sexually explicit,” to contain “offensive language” or to be “unsuited to an age group.”

Most books featured nationally during Banned Books Week were not banned but merely challenged. The American Library Association “thanks the efforts of librarians” for maintaining those books in their collections.

Sigma Tau Delta plans to hold a candlelight vigil again next year to protest the banning of books and the breaching of the first amendment.