Visit Philadelphia giving out banned books for Black History Month

Book bans are on the rise.

Between January and August 2023, there were nearly 700 attempts to remove titles from school and public libraries, according to the American Library Association. More than 1,900 different books were targeted, a 20% increase compared to the same period in 2022, the association’s data showed.

But in Philadelphia, the city’s official tourism agency is giving away 1,500 frequently challenged books by Black authors throughout February, to coincide with Black History Month.

Visit Philadelphia, in collaboration with Little Free Library, has begun stocking 13 boxes at locations around the city. The boxes are modeled on the Little Free Libraries that have sprouted around the region in recent years and operate on an optional take-one, leave-one system, organizers said.

The project, dubbed “Little Free(dom) Libraries,” is part of a Visit Philadelphia series portraying the city as a welcoming place for residents and tourists.

“We take pride in celebrating Philadelphia as the cradle of liberty, while also recognizing the complexity of its history,” said Angela Val, the agency’s president and CEO, in a statement. “We want travelers and residents to know that in Philadelphia, Black history is American history, and Black stories are worth telling and sharing.”

To promote the campaign, Visit Philadelphia, which is primarily funded through a hotel tax, is spending $105,00 on advertisements featuring Joyce Abbott, a teacher who served as an inspiration for Quinta Brunson’s Philadelphia-based television show “Abbott Elementary.” Ads will appear in 25 media markets around the country, according to the agency.

“After more than 30 years of teaching in Philly classrooms, I’ve learned just how important it is to share stories that reflect our history – your history, my history, Black history,” Abbott says during a 30-second TV ad filmed at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania’s library.

Additionally, the initiative includes a four-part social media video series with notable Philadelphians reading passages from the banned books.

Previous iterations of Visit Philadelphia’s “In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union” series spotlighted the Hispanic and LGBTQ communities, with the latter incorporating an ad showing a drag queen story time outside Independence Hall.

The Little Free Libraries are being stocked with a dozen titles, including Nikole Hannah-Jones’s “The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story,” George M. Johnson’s “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” and “Beloved” by Toni Morrison. The Free Library of Philadelphia created a blog post with a description of each book. The ALA found that most books challenged nationwide were written by or about a person of color and/or a member of the LGBTQ community.

All of the books being given away as part of the initiative were purchased from local Black-owned shops, including Black and Nobel, Hakim’s, and Harriet’s, among others, according to Visit Philadelphia.

The colorful book boxes feature designs by artist Alloyius Mcilwaine, a Philadelphia native.

Locations include:

• Betsy Ross House, 239 Arch St.

• Columbia North YMCA, 1400 N Broad St.

• Eastern State Penitentiary, 2027 Fairmount Ave.

• Faheem’s Hands of Precision, 2100 S. 20th St.

• Frankford Community Development Corporation, 4667 Paul St.

• Franklin Square, 200 N 6th St.

• Historic Germantown, 5501 Germantown Ave.

• Johnson House Historic Site, 6306 Germantown Ave.

• Mother Bethel AME Church, 419 S. 6th St.

• Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway

• Independence Visitor Center, 599 Market St.

• Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, 300 S Broad St.

• South Street Off Center, 407 South St.

For more information about the Little Free(dom) Libraries, go to visitphilly.com/freedomlibrary. The web page also includes a guide of Black-owned businesses near each library, encouraging people to check out those establishments during their visit.