‘Roots’ Banned in Tennessee School District as Censorship Concerns Rise

When Alex Haley’s “Roots” debuted in 1976, the novel detailing the horrific truth of slavery’s past validated the experiences of Black America while also holding white people accountable. Now, a school district in Tennessee has banned the book, arguing the subject matter is too much for children to handle.

“Roots” joined the list of now 119 titles banned by the Knox County School District in the last two years, according to Knox News. It’s part of an ongoing effort to root out any and all sexual, LGBTQ+ or race-related issues from school curriculum. But critics say adding “Roots” to the banned list is just another way for the district to whitewash American history.

We previously told you about the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to rid the country of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). In Knox County, however, art focusing on the Black experience has been met with legislation dating back years.

In 2022, state lawmakers passed the Age-Appropriate Materials Act, which promoted a wave of book bans. The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee previously called the bill an act of censorship.

“This misguided and overly broad ban on certain materials could result in the censoring of education materials on biology, history, literature, and health,” the ACLU of Tennessee warned, according to WKRN.

Tennessee now ranks third in the nation for states with the most banned books in schools, according to the Tennesseean. In the recent case of “Roots,” critics, including District spokesperson Carly Harrington, revived concerns about the state’s banning process.

“There is no transparency on how these decisions are made and how the public can comment or push back on such censorship,” Harrington told Knox News. The Knox County Schools book-banning committee previously reviewed an excerpt from “Roots” and declined to ban it, the outlet reported. Now, things have changed with little explanation.

Harrington pointed out that the district does not “track or document the original source” of complaints, so there’s no real way to know where or when new concerns over the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel arose. Regardless, “Roots” is solidified in American history as one of the first books by an American author to paint a clear picture of how slavery impacted Black folks across generations.

“Haley’s work showcased the violence, brutality, and aftermath of slavery, but it also showcased the resilience and resistance of Black people and families that spans generations,” Annastasia Williams, the bookshop director at The Bottom bookstore and cultural organization, told Knox News. “Both the book and subsequent TV miniseries were cultural phenomenons that started conversations, shifted perspectives, and contributed to a collective empathy that the U.S. had not seen or heard before.”

The book– which was later turned into an eight-part miniseries– follows the lineage of Kunta Kinte, a Gambian man stolen from his home and forced into slavery in the American South. Kinte’s story was based on family oral accounts of one of Haley’s own ancestors.

Haley, who was born in New York, spent much of his childhood summers in Tennessee at his grandfather’s home, which was built in 1919, according to the Tennessee Historical Commission. Now, the home is recognized and preserved as a historic site.