If you’re a parent who cares about what your kid is reading, LeVar Burton may want to sucker punch you.
The former host of the popular children’s show “Reading Rainbow,” which many readers who grew up in the ’80s and ’90s probably remember as a weekly staple, attacked parents’ rights group Moms for Liberty at the National Book Awards on Wednesday.
Burton, who was emceeing the event, opened with a “joke” that sounded more like a threat.
“Before we get going, are there any Moms for Liberty in the house? No? Good. Then hands will not need to be thrown tonight,” he said, according to CNN.
Burton went on to say, “Freedom feels especially fraught in this global political moment.”
“On the home front, we are fighting for control of truth and how we interpret truth in this country. Books are being banned, words are being silenced and writers and others who champion books are under attack.”
Burton must have been talking about Dr. Seuss books, six of which will no longer be published after they were deemed “racist.” Because as far as I’m aware, Moms for Liberty has never “silenced” anyone by getting a book banned from publication.
What it has done is advocate for inappropriate books — such as those with “LGBT themes” and pornographic content — to be kept out of public school classrooms.
Should Burton apologize?
Yes: 99% (229 Votes)
No: 1% (3 Votes)
Moms for Liberty expressed sadness at a beloved children’s show host seemingly calling for violence against concerned parents.
The group posted on X, “American moms weep as a childhood favorite, Reading Rainbow, calls for physical attacks against us because we are protecting the innocence of our children. [LeVar Burton], why have you sunk so low? Threatening physical violence against women?”
American moms weep as a childhood favorite, Reading Rainbow, calls for physical attacks against us because we are protecting the innocence of our children. @levarburton, why have you sunk so low? Threatening physical violence against women? https://t.co/qui0iP3McW
— Moms for Liberty (@Moms4Liberty) November 16, 2023
Conservative parents weren’t the only ones displeased with this year’s National Book Awards.
Zibby Owens, owner of Zibby Media, pulled her sponsorship of the event after she learned that a group of finalists had decided to “collectively band together to use their speeches to promote a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israeli agenda.”
Sure enough, author Aaliyah Bilal, surrounded by other finalists, stood on stage and read a statement condemning Israel’s “ongoing bombardment of Gaza” and calling for a “humanitarian cease-fire.”
The hypocrisy is sickening. Let’s encourage violence against moms trying to protect their children while giving a platform for anti-Semitic propaganda.
A National Book Award is considered a badge of honor. The medallions marking winning books used to highlight them as must-reads.
After this year’s ceremony, a lot of parents may be looking for those medallions — but for entirely different reasons.
