'Antiracism' book removed from NC school district classrooms: 'Develop opinions off of the facts'

WILMINGTON, N.C. (CITC) — A North Carolina school district is temporarily removing a book on "racism and antiracism" after a parent raised concerns over its appropriateness for classroom use.

"Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You" by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi was taken out of New Hanover County Schools (NHCS) Friday. The book, which is described as an "exploration of racism and antiracism in America" on Kendi's website, has been removed from school districts nationwide due to claims that it contains "selective storytelling."

In NHCS, the book was recently included in the syllabus of at least one of the district's high school AP courses. However, its inclusion was brought to a vote after mother Katie Gates claimed the book taught American history "from a twisted and biased perspective."

"I want my kid to be exposed to all facets of history ... There's a lot of White-washing going on, and the Black voice needs to be heard," Gates said during Friday's school board hearing. "But let's look at the facts, and then develop opinions off of the facts."

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Some NHCS school board members agreed, raising concerns that "Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You" may not be appropriately balanced in viewpoints. A district policy currently requires that learning materials be selected to "represent various points of view on controversial issues."

"There are thousands upon thousands of books with this viewpoint, with this topic, that we can use instead of this," school board member Melissa Mason said. "This book has not been around very long, it has not been vetted."

Others argued that the book's contents have no place in an AP Language and Composition class, which is the course in which Gates's daughter used the book.

"We want to teach history, we want to teach racism, but this is supposed to be about speech and composition," school board member Pat Bradford said. "We're mixing things, and we shouldn't be."

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However, some board members defended the use of the book, with Stephanie Kraybill claiming that Gates has been the sole NHCS parent to criticize it.

The NHCS school board ultimately voted to temporarily remove"Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You" from course syllabuses while it undergoes further review, as well as while a more "balanced" book is researched. However, the book will remain in the district's high school libraries.

Crisis in the Classroom (CITC) reached out to NHCS for comment, as well as to learn how a more permanent decision on the inclusion of"Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You" in classrooms will be made. This story will be updated if a response is received.