A blue, green, red, orange and yellow gradient graphic of a young adult in front of a library shelf of books, joyously reading a book.

Uncensored: Native American Heritage Month

Read a banned book in honor of Native American Heritage Month to celebrate diverse perspectives and expand your cultural awareness.

Win a scholarship:

$500

Deadline:

November 30, 2024

Volunteer credit:

NO

Estimated time to complete:

3 - 6 hours

Banning books, a harmful and exclusionary practice, occurs when individuals, government officials, or even school administrators, remove books from libraries, reading lists, or even bookshelves because they object to their content, ideas, or themes.

Book bans continue to be on the rise with a record number of school districts removing works based on themes of race and racism, LGBTQIA+ identity, and more. According to PEN America, there were more than 4,300 book bans across 23 states and 52 public school districts from July 2023 to December 2023. However, these stories are essential for us to understand the diversity of the human experience.​​

Representation matters. And reading books by or about people from historically underrepresented groups builds cross-cultural empathy.

In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, we’ve compiled a list of some of our “must-read, can’t miss” banned or challenged books by Native American and Indigenous authors.

📚 Read a banned book by Native American and Indigenous authors during Native American Heritage Month, and share how you’ll discuss with your peers the value these books and stories have on society. You'll be entered for the opportunity to earn a $500 scholarship!

Scholarship FAQs

Scholarship FAQs

Scholarship FAQs

Scholarship FAQs

How to help
1
READ A BANNED BOOK
2
REFLECT
3
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS