Controlling content & erasing history
The Naval Academy purged nearly 400 books on topics that were non-white, non-straight, non-American, and non-male.
I sent this as an email to a small group of people but want to share my (edited) vent here as well.
I know there's a lot to be outraged about, but I just came across a New York Times article that reports Pete Hegseth ordered a purge of books from the Naval Academy, which includes DEI, race/racism, Black, LGBTQ+—specifically trans—sexuality, gender, and even feminism.
What's still there?
Two copies of “Mein Kampf” by Adolf Hitler are still on the shelves.
“The Camp of the Saints” by Jean Raspail is still on the shelves. The 1973 novel, which envisions a takeover of the Western world by immigrants from developing countries, has been embraced by white supremacists and promoted by Stephen Miller, a senior White House adviser.
“The Bell Curve,” which argues that Black men and women are genetically less intelligent than white people, is still there. But a critique of the book was pulled.
This purge was so bad, even Fox News was tepid about "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" being pulled.
The Naval Academy also purged "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" by American writer and poet Maya Angelou, an autobiography detailing Angelou’s childhood and life during the Jim Crow era.
However, they went on to trash Ibram X. Kendi and his books on race.
Nothing should be appalling to me anymore, but I don't think anyone who fought in the Civil Rights movement ever imagined we'd be going this far backward.