Congressional Democrats demand answers regarding book bans at service academies

| April 7, 2025 | 82 Comments

President Donald Trump issued a directive calling for the removal of DEI initiatives. In response, the service academies took action to adjust curriculum to remove DEI related material, and to ban DEI related books. A couple of Democrats in Congress fired up a letter asking for information related to the book bans. The article quoted these Democrats as comparing the DEI book bans to “McCarthy-era censorship.”

From USA Today:

“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” by Maya Angelou, is one of almost 400 books banned at the Naval Academy, the New York Times reported Friday.

The House Armed Services Committee Democrats asked the military academies who directed the removal of books, how the books were selected for the ban and if they’ve been taken from the shelves.

“If true, this is a blatant attack on the First Amendment and a clear effort to suppress academic freedom and rigor at the United States Naval Academy,” according to a draft of the letter obtained by USA TODAY. “Moreover, it displays an alarming return to McCarthy-era censorship.”

McCarthy, a Republican who served in the U.S. Senate from Wisconsin in the 1950s, claimed that Communists had infiltrated the federal government. He led high-profile investigations into alleged subversion and espionage, according to the Senate history. A confrontation with the army in 1953 led to the nationally televised hearings that damaged McCarthy’s public image, cast doubt on his allegations, and saw him censured by his peers.

Additional Reading:

Brook, T. V. (2025, April 7). Book ban at military service academies draws flak from Congress. USA Today. Link.

Category: DEI, Military issues

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