Dozens Speak Out Against Banning Books at Wenatchee School Board Meeting
More than a hundred packed the Wenatchee School District boardroom and about 30 people spoke out against banning books after local social media post went viral
More than 100 people packed into the Wenatchee School District boardroom on May 23, many to speak out against censorship in the form of book banning in Wenatchee Schools.
The controversy began earlier this month after a Facebook user named Carmen Rosales posted a call to action titled “Stop the indoctrination of children” in a popular Wenatchee-area Facebook group. In the post, Rosales called for other parents to join her at the May school board meeting to protest the “use of explicit books” in public school libraries.
The post quickly made the rounds on, and off, social media in the Wenatchee Valley, and by the meeting on May 23, more than 30 people had signed up to speak. The public comment time ended up lasting nearly an hour and a half, and not one person spoke in favor of banning books.
In the end, 29 people spoke out against censorship in public school libraries. Many related their stories of being members of the LGBTQ+ community, or having loved ones in that community, and what representation in literature and art means to them.
One of those people was a woman named Dana who said she identifies as Christian and told a story of coming to terms with her child’s sexuality and how that journey opened her eyes. After her remarks an individual wearing a Trans flag hugged her.
A member of the local LGBTQ+ community, Leo Perry, also spoke and said his existence isn’t explicit, or inherently sexual. He said he exists, just like everyone else, and censoring books with LGBTQ+ characters is an inherent rebuke of an entire community.
A graduate of Wenatchee schools and mother of students currently in Wenatchee schools who said she identifies as a lesbian spoke about what growing up queer in this community was like. She said for a long time she felt like she was alone, and books like the ones some folks want to ban give young queer kids hope that they’re not alone.
School Librarian Sandra Lancaster also rose to speak, but she wanted to call folks’ attention to the fact that proposed budget cuts would leave Wenatchee’s middle schools, Orchard, Foothills, and Pioneer, with just one librarian for all three. The plan would also cut the position entirely for Wenatchee High School.
Although a woman fitting Rosales’ description was in attendance, no one spoke in favor of banning any books in Wenatchee schools.
NCWlife reporter Jordan Gonzalez was also covering the meeting and reported that she spoke with the couple who tried to organize a group to protest books featuring LGBTQ+ characters and issues.
Although it’s unusual for reputable media outlets to allow sources to speak anonymously unless there is a reasonable concern for safety, NCWlife allowed the couple to do so.
“After the meeting, NCWLIFE asked the pair who began the campaign against the books why they did not speak,” Gonzales wrote. “The male explained that he didn’t want to speak ‘when it’s set up by the school to have PTA members and librarians.’”
The Wenatchee School District through spokeswoman Diana Haglund denied the anonymous man’s baseless claim. You can read and watch Gonzales’ coverage of the meeting here.
Chelan County Commissioner Kevin Overbay was also at the meeting, but said he didn’t know about the book banning controversy. He was there to support WSD employee Risk Manager Bryan Muniz, who was accepting a regional award. He said that while the issue being discussed was controversial and it’s clear that he has constituents on both sides of the issue, he applauded the fact that the meeting was civil and polite, saying this type of dialogue in public meetings is what The Founders intended.
Wenatchee World reporter Oscar Rodriguez and I caught up to Overbay in the parking lot after the public comments time to get his remarks.
The tone of the meeting was quite different from the August 2021 Wenatchee School Board meeting in which a group of angry protestors organized by Pastor Carey McPherson of Grace City Church refused to follow the rules of the meeting, one even approached the board threateningly which prompted then-president Laura Jaecks to shut down the in-person meeting and resume proceedings on Zoom later.
I also covered that meeting and did an episode of my show on NCWlife about it after it happened.
One of the folks in that crowd in 2021 was school board candidate Katherine Thomas, who also refused to follow the rules of the meeting and put on a mask during a public meeting indoors during the pandemic.
She was later elected to a school board position and currently sits on the board, although she has not filed for re-election this cycle.
My Two Cents
The fact that Rosales tried to organize a protest in favor of banning books and unintentionally organized a protest against banning books is too ironic to go unacknowledged. Yet this fact hasn’t been remarked upon in any local media coverage. I chalk it up to yet another side effect of what I call the “aggressive mediocrity” that is a feature of the region’s media establishment.
Secondly, if someone makes a public post on Facebook with a call to action for folks to join in a protest at a public meeting and then wants media to refrain from using their name in coverage of that story, that is not a good enough reason to acquiesce to their request. The ethics and guidelines that dictate when a source should be allowed to comment anonymously are pretty clear, and saving someone who might be ashamed of themselves a little embarrassment is not a good enough reason to keep the source anonymous. However, I don’t blame Ms. Gonzales for the error, but rather those with ultimate editorial oversight in this situation.
As Commissioner Overbay said, the meeting was civil and polite. I agree with his assessment. I also applaud those who stood up and spoke, especially those who shared personal stories and details that must have been hard to share in a public meeting for the world to see, and judge.
At one point during the board meeting Covid deniers shut down in Aug. 2021, I seriously wondered if was going to have to step in and physically intervene as a local man approached the board, shouting with clenched fists.
At no point during this meeting did I feel anything remotely close to that sort of tension. What I felt was nervous anticipation that was soon replaced by group catharsis.
As more and more people spoke out against censorship and bigotry, sharing personal stories of struggle, loneliness and self-discovery, the support from the crowd gathered was palpable.
I’d like to applaud Sandra Lancaster for speaking out about a danger that is much more real than the potential of banned books in our public school libraries, and that is a lack of librarians in our libraries.
For some children, a school librarian is a should to cry on, a trusted source of information and an integral ally in the quest to quench the thirst of childhood curiosity. Without a librarian a library is just a room full of books. Librarians are guides who help curious minds find the path to knowledge – and knowledge is power.
In my opinion, the risk of losing school librarians is much greater than the risk of books being pulled from the shelves of Wenatchee school libraries because of the arbitrary whims of a few people. The loss of librarians should be what concerns folks – not a comically-bungled attempt to get a few books banned.
So proud of Wenatchee. Thanks, Dominick.
I work in a school on the west side of the mountains, our library's are safe spaces for kids before school during school and lunches. I can't even imagine not having these spaces for all. Our librarians are our technicians also.