Matthew Hawn and Amanda Jones were early casualties of a conservative movement sweeping the country to restrict what children learn or read about 鈥渄ivisive topics鈥� like racism or LGBTQ issues.
Now, months later, they have something else in common: They鈥檙e not quitters.
澳门跑狗论坛 reached out to Hawn and Jones to facilitate a Zoom conversation about their situations and the similarities between them.
and Jones are part of a handful of teachers and librarians who gained national attention for their opposition to the backlash to lessons on race and racism or censorship.
A social studies teacher for 16 years, Hawn鈥檚 Tennessee district fired him almost a year and a half ago after parents complained about his use of the Ta-Nehisi Coates essay called and his choice to ask his class to dissect a provocative spoken word poem titled by Kyla Jen茅e Lacey.
An independent hearing officer decided that Hawn had failed to show varying perspectives in his lesson, and upheld the board鈥檚 decision to fire him. Now, he鈥檚 in the midst of taking his case to chancery court to appeal his school board鈥檚 firing decision.
A year later, in rural Louisiana, Jones gave a speech at her local public library against book banning, and became the target of extensive hate speech online for it. Weeks later, Jones said she received a death threat from Texas. The former national Librarian of the Year sued two Facebook groups over the online attacks, but her case was dismissed because the judge said she is a public figure. Now, she鈥檚 looking to reverse the dismissal, with plans to appeal to district court if the verdict is not reassessed in her favor.
The national attention has largely receded since then, though both Hawn and Jones are still carrying on their battles.
鈥淎 lot of people have been very supportive of me and they鈥檝e reached out, but it鈥檚 not the same as it was a year ago or a year and a half ago,鈥� said Hawn. 鈥淏ut this is still very present in my life.鈥�
That鈥檚 why Hawn contacted Jones after hearing her story on a podcast, to let her know she can talk to him about their shared experiences.
Both Hawn and Jones will have to wait well into next year to receive decisions on their respective cases.
But they both said they never considered not standing up for what they believe in, because they believe it鈥檚 their responsibility to defend honest history lessons and students鈥� access to books.
鈥淚 think that鈥檚 the burden that you and I carry is, for some reason, we are being vocal and standing up for what we believe in, or standing up for our students because they鈥檙e the ones that suffer at the end of the day,鈥� Hawn said to Jones during the Zoom conversation with 澳门跑狗论坛.
Jones said she and Hawn have been made to be examples by conservative activists 鈥渟o that the rest of the people who are on the fence that were thinking about speaking out suddenly won鈥檛 speak out anymore.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 a very effective strategy on their part,鈥� added Jones, who is currently on medical leave from her job as a public school librarian.
The fight has broadened in scope
When Hawn was fired, in May 2021, he was one of the only people across the country to face early backlash from the movement against 鈥渃ritical race theory,鈥� an academic theory whose name was misused by Republican lawmakers and parents complaining about lessons in school on race and racism. (Critical race theory argues that race is a social construct, and that racism is not merely the product of individual bias or prejudice, but also something embedded in legal systems and policies.)
Tennessee was one of the earliest states to pass a law banning the teaching of divisive concepts, such as the idea that anyone should feel guilt or anguish because of their race and that anyone is inherently racist.
But since then, 鈥渢he battle has gotten wider, and teachers are spread more thin,鈥� Hawn said, as the ideological debates expanded to several fronts.
The fight against lessons about race has morphed into book bans and anti-LGBTQ policies. Sixteen other states have banned teaching about divisive concepts, and several have imposed restrictions on LGBTQ students鈥� rights in schools.
When Jones faced online harassment for making her speech, book bans were already happening across the country. This meant that she was able to gather support from her library association colleagues and join groups already engaged in fighting book bans.
Recently, she realized that some of the same, far-right groups of people are advocating for censorship, restrictions on LGBTQ rights, and lessons on race. She and Hawn were part of a similar battle.
鈥淧eople that aren鈥檛 extremists are starting to see what鈥檚 happening,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淭hey are starting to realize that it鈥檚 not really about [Critical Race Theory], and it鈥檚 not really about the LGBTQ community. These are all smokescreens for privatizing education, privatizing libraries.鈥�
Both Jones and Hawn, however, have drawn hope from former students, many now in their 20s and 30s, who have been consistently supportive.
鈥淭hey see what鈥檚 happening. And they see how it鈥檚 affecting their education, too,鈥� Hawn said. 鈥淎nd I think they鈥檙e going to be the ones to save us.鈥�
An education in privilege
In their Zoom conversation with 澳门跑狗论坛 this month, Hawn told Jones that he has come to see the role his own privilege plays in the controversies that both educators have endured. 鈥淚 understand that being a white male, I鈥檝e enjoyed a certain amount of privilege in this situation, because of some of the things that people have said to you,鈥� he told Jones. 鈥淥ver the course of this year I鈥檝e gotten a very good education in privilege.鈥�
Hawn received a handful of comments from critics over social media, he said, but nothing compared to what Jones had to go through.
鈥淚鈥檝e learned some things about privilege, too,鈥� Jones responded.
When she was talking to a group of transgender women on a speaking engagement, she realized that this period of online vitriol will pass for her, but some of her listeners might have to live their whole lives dealing with hatred.
鈥淚 thought about the mental toll it takes or it鈥檚 taken on me, and I have a supportive family,鈥� she said. 鈥淪ome of the women I was speaking to do not have supportive families.鈥�
鈥淪ome of them were trans women of color, and they鈥檝e gotten the slurs,鈥� she added."And I realized how privileged I am.鈥�
Jones also said she was glad some of the people who spoke at the same meeting where she opposed censorship did not become targets, because they were either newer teachers or sexual assault survivors. As a librarian of the year, she had connections and name recognition that helped her gather support from the professional community, she said.
鈥淲hen you鈥檙e given a platform you have to do something with it, or you鈥檙e letting everyone else down,鈥� Jones said.
Hawn concurred. 鈥淚 could resign at any time. I could end this whole thing and just call them up and say, 鈥榥o, I don鈥檛 want to do this anymore,鈥� but it鈥檒l fall to somebody else,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o if I have the ability to make a difference, and keep someone else from experiencing this, then it鈥檒l be worth it. 鈥�
