National Banned Books Week took place from September 25th
to October 1st, and two UM campus organizations celebrated in a
unique way: by hosting a mugshot photo booth where students could come and get
their photo taken with books that have been either banned or challenged in
schools and libraries throughout the country.
Secular Student Alliance (SSA) and The Tower collaborated to
make this event come to life. Leslie Smith, who is both the president of SSA
and the editor-in-chief of The Tower, says that the act of banning books
affects both of the organizations: SSA because it is a violation of first
amendment rights, and The Tower because any form of creative writing should be
free to the public.
"I would say that The Tower and SSA are both really concerned with keeping the rights of the individual safe," Smith said. "We support the first amendment and the rights that we have with it: freedom of speech and freedom of the press."
Throughout the two-day event, students were eager to step up and have their photo taken with some of their favorite books. The book that got the most reactions was none other than the Junie B. Jones series, which has been banned in some schools for depicting bratty behavior.
In total, about 220 people participated in the photobooth over the course of two days. Not only were students present and ready to smile for the camera, but a few professors and UM staff members chose to have their mugshot taken as well.
SSA and The Tower also accepted donations which would go toward purchasing books from the 2015 banned list for Carmichael Library.
You can find all of the mugshot photos on SSA's Facebook page.
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