COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — There is a special exhibit at the Ohio Statehouse in honor of Nobel Prize winner and Ohio author Toni Morrison’s birthday, who would have been 94 Tuesday.
Morrison is from Northeast Ohio and wrote more than a dozen books about the Black American experience that have been circulated throughout the world.
“Morrison’s writings are a challenge, but they are also an invitation to reflect, learn and grow,” Ohio Sen. Catherine Ingram (D-Cincinnati) said.
While lawmakers and advocates said this day is about celebration, they also said it stands as a reminder.
“As we celebrate her legacy, we must also acknowledge the troubling reality of her books being banned in many places,” Ingram said.
In recent history, some of her books have been challenged for explicit material. Schools in some states like Florida have pulled her books from library shelves.
“I am an author because my life was changed with books and stories, and I want to give that gift to others but there are those who are trying to limit that,” children’s book author Elisa Stone Leahy said.
The Ohio Library Council said no Toni Morrison book has been banned in an Ohio public library and it is not aware of any book, in general, that has recently been removed from one of the state’s public libraries.
Ingram said that does not mean it cannot or will not happen and she said she worries that legislation like Senate Bill 1 is a steppingstone for more extreme measures like book bans.
John Fortney, spokesperson for Ohio Senate Republicans, said, “Banning books, that’s just another work of fiction promoted by today’s left. Moms and dads understand what age appropriate, and sexualized content for example, is not age-appropriate for children. It is simply common sense.”
Several other Republicans said while they would not support a book ban, they believe age restrictions are necessary in some cases and said they believe that has already been addressed.
“We all want what’s best for our kids,” Leahy said. “And we all worry that our kids will hear things that we don’t agree with, but the answer isn’t censorship.”
The Morrison exhibit in the George Washington Williams room at the Ohio Statehouse is open Wednesday from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.