In the wake of a year that’s been plagued with book bans, book burnings, and right-wing censorship of all kinds, we’re wondering: why is our American history being banned? Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ recent attempts to ban an Advanced Placement course in African American studies have us thinking about American fragility, and the drastic consequences of this censorship. Not to mention, what does this mean for our constitutional rights—matters like free speech, and the First Amendment? When the government infringes on our fundamental constitutional rights, how can we fight back?

Joining me to discuss these important issues, is a very special guest (one who himself has been blacklisted!):

Professor Roderick Ferguson is the William Robertson Coe Professor of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Yale University, where he is also a professor of American Studies. He is the award-winning author of One-Dimensional Queer; We Demand: The University and Student Protests; The Reorder of Things: The University and Its Pedagogies of Minority Difference; and Aberrations in Black: Toward a Queer of Color Critique.

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

Tips, suggestions, pitches? Get in touch with us at ontheissues@msmagazine.com. 

Support the show