Detroit ACLU Urges Plymouth-Canton to Keep 'Beloved' in Classroom

In a letter today, the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan urged to respect the constitutional rights of students and not ban the award-winning novels Beloved and Waterland from the Advanced Placement English Literature curriculum, according to a news release from the organization.

The books were after complaints by Matt and Barb Dame, parents of a Salem High School student.

“It is alarming that a vocal minority has been successful in denying students these valuable works of literature," said Loren Khogali, ACLU of Michigan Metro Detroit Branch president, in the news release. “Shutting down ideas in the classroom not only raises constitutional concerns, but goes against the very essence of our educational system. This incident is a stark reminder of the threats still facing educational freedom.”

Last month, teachers in Plymouth-Canton Community Schools were instructed by Jeremy Hughes, the district’s superintendent, to . He also by an committee.

The fate of Waterland will be decided when it is referred for review in the coming weeks, the news release said.

An independent review committee is expected to release recommendations regarding the removal of Beloved .

“Removing the books would not only deny all AP English students the opportunity to read, debate and learn from these two critically acclaimed literary works,” wrote the ACLU of Michigan in its letter. “But it would send the message to students that censorship of ideas is permitted in our democracy. Such a lesson contradicts fundamental constitutional values of our county – values that public schools are designed to teach.”

The parents' primary objection was that Beloved’s exploration of sex, ghosts and infanticide was inappropriate for students. They also objected to sexual content on pages 50-51 in Waterland.

Since the American Library Association started the Banned Books Week tradition in 1982, more than 11,000 books have been challenged, according to the news release.

The ACLU began defending banned books with James Joyce's Ulysses in 1933.

The letter was signed by Khogali and Michael Steinberg and Sarah Mehta of the ACLU of Michigan.