Jay Smith Speech at Jan 25, 2023 Read-In
We’re kicking off a short series where we’ll be sharing (with permission!) some of the speeches given at our recent read-in event at the Utah State Capitol.
Today’s speech is from Jackson (Jay) Smith, a senior at Park City High School. Thank you for sharing with us, Jackson!
Schools are under attack. A petulant mob wishes only to see books that hurt their preconceived notions about reality banned from existence under the guise of ‘protecting the innocence of children’, ‘protecting’ us from pornography. Never once did they hear it from the students. So, consider this a sort of declaration of the students:
We the students of Park City High School believe that reading is a right, not a privilege. A right is inalienable, something that should never be taken away. Our right to read books, whether for critical use or for fun, should never be infringed upon.
We the students believe that books are meant for knowledge, not for indoctrination. Books that criticize the status quo, make us consider a different perspective from that which we were originally influenced by, should not be considered propaganda.
We the students believe that the books that have been challenged within our school district have been nothing but blatant attempts to politicize schools and allocate more control over us, the student body politic, and what we can read.
We the students are not getting pornography from schools.
We the students are not reading pornography in school libraries.
We the students have noticed a certain similarity with the books that have been challenged so far, which is to say: themes related to racial, gender, and mental illness are being banned at exponentially higher rates than other themes.
We the students have read the books labled as pornography and considered too lewd for schools, and realize that the context in which these scenes appear are not fully understood by those who wish to ban these books.
In completion, I realize that I do not speak for all schools. I realize that the school which I speak for is relatively progressive and does have a strong history with activism. With that being said, I want it to be known that Park City High School stands firm with everyone’s right to read. That activist spirit that Park City should be known for will always fight for students’ rights.
It is clear to see that there are political motivations for banning these books. The rampant misinformation spread by certain groups that has so traumatized the schooling system as a whole has an origin. There are politicians and officials and pundits and demagogues and instigators who wish only to control the students’ rights, who wish to push their ideology onto the students. President Lyndon B Johnson once said, "Books and ideas are the most effective weapons against intolerance and ignorance." The politicians, officials, pundits, and so forth who wish to ban these books speak on behalf of intolerance and ignorance.
We are in a battle for the future of this country. Time is of the essence: the longer this is allowed to continue, the more harm is done to our freedom, the freedom of the student. So I urge anyone and everyone, whether here or there, whether on the left or the right, whether the biggest fan of books or not, whether an activist or just a bystander, no matter who you are: Fight. Give them hell. Bring forth the fires of Olympus as we stand up to ignorance and intolerance.
We the students will have our day, but until then, we need people like you to keep fighting for us on the inside. We need to change the way people vote. We need to break the stigma around discussing these books, especially if they are graphic or critical. We cannot allow laws like HB 374 to be used to ban whatever book the intolerant and ignorant fear.
We the students deserve our rights, just the same as the rest of the country. Let that begin with books!