Book bans are growing across Florida. So, a church and bookstore teamed up in protest

Iris Mogul yearned for a space in South Florida where she could indulge in discussions about the written word with like-minded people. That’s when the 16-year-old came up with a bright idea: start a group that meets at once a month at Books & Books in Coral Gables.

The books they dissect in the meetings, however, have been banned.

Iris Mogul, a high school student who started a banned books club, is photographed with one of her favorite books during the “Walk for Freadom” kickoff event on Sunday, October 1, 2023 in Coral Gables, Florida. The march began at the Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ and ended at Books & Books. Carl Juste/cjuste@miamiherald.com
Iris Mogul, a high school student who started a banned books club, is photographed with one of her favorite books during the “Walk for Freadom” kickoff event on Sunday, October 1, 2023 in Coral Gables, Florida. The march began at the Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ and ended at Books & Books. Carl Juste/cjuste@miamiherald.com

“It was kind of like a double whammy because it’s like an act of resistance... and it’s a way to start a book club and talk to people,” said Mogul, a student a dual enrollment program at Florida International University.

As part of Florida’s expanded “Parental Rights in Education” law, one parent or community member can object to instructional material or a school library book. The law, signed in May, requires the book or materials to be removed within five days of the objection and remain unavailable to students until the issue is resolved. More books were pulled from shelves in Florida public schools than in any other state last school year.

READ MORE: Book bans are growing in South Florida schools. You’ve probably read some of these books

Karla Hernandez-Mats, president of United Teacher of Dade, center, leads in chanting slogans against book banning as marchers arrive at Book & Books during the “Walk for Freadom” kickoff event on Sunday, October 1, 2023 in Coral Gables, Florida. The march began at the Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ and ended at Books & Books. Carl Juste/cjuste@miamiherald.com

Mogul was one of dozens of people who gathered to protest censorship at the bookstore Sunday afternoon. The crowd marched from the Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ, where Pastor Laurie Hafner’s message to her congregation weaved together faith and the impact of book bans across the country.

Books bans, Hafner said, are a threat to society — and spirituality — because they limit people’s ability to learn about “the diverse nature of God through other human beings.”

Signs outside the Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ say “A Sanctuary for Banned Books” and “All Are Welcome” during the “Walk for Freadom” kickoff event on Sunday, October 1, 2023 in Coral Gables, Florida. The march began at the Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ and ended at Books & Books. Grethel Aguila
Signs outside the Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ say “A Sanctuary for Banned Books” and “All Are Welcome” during the “Walk for Freadom” kickoff event on Sunday, October 1, 2023 in Coral Gables, Florida. The march began at the Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ and ended at Books & Books. Grethel Aguila

“It’s far too often about racism, misogyny, homophobia and classicism. It’s about concealing painful truths and the whitewashing of American history,” Hafner said during the service. “It is about denying our young people the God-given right to think critically, and in turn, to develop empathy.”

In Florida, the freedom to read is under attack, said Mitchell Kaplan, the owner of Books & Books. That’s why Kaplan turned to the Coral Gables church, which calls itself “a sanctuary for banned books,” to kick off Banned Books Week.

Books & Books owner Mitchell Kaplan sits near empty book shelves to illustrate the effects of Florida’s book ban during the “Walk for Freadom” kickoff event on Sunday, October 1, 2023 in Coral Gables, Florida. The march began at the Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ and ended at Books & Books. Carl Juste/cjuste@miamiherald.com
Books & Books owner Mitchell Kaplan sits near empty book shelves to illustrate the effects of Florida’s book ban during the “Walk for Freadom” kickoff event on Sunday, October 1, 2023 in Coral Gables, Florida. The march began at the Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ and ended at Books & Books. Carl Juste/cjuste@miamiherald.com

“Reading is all about empathy,” Kaplan said. “It’s all about learning one’s history and the history of others. If you attempt to restrict that, what you’re doing is... whitewashing history in a way that doesn’t allow young people to really understand both the beauty of this democracy that we live in, as well as all of the things we need to do to make it even better.”

Mayade Ersoff, a history teacher at Palmetto Middle School, said she joined the march so that her students — and future generations — have the opportunity to read the same books that she did.

“New learners are going to learn lies about our history, and I refuse to do that,” Ersoff said. “I refuse to push lies on my students. That’s not what I was hired for. That’s not what teaching and learning is about.”

Books covered with brown paper are displayed with titles and reasons for their banning during the “Walk for Freadom” kickoff event on Sunday, October 1, 2023 in Coral Gables, Florida. The march began at the Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ and ended at Books & Books. Carl Juste/cjuste@miamiherald.com
Books covered with brown paper are displayed with titles and reasons for their banning during the “Walk for Freadom” kickoff event on Sunday, October 1, 2023 in Coral Gables, Florida. The march began at the Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ and ended at Books & Books. Carl Juste/cjuste@miamiherald.com

When Hedieh Sepehri noticed books were under attack, she decided to act even though her children are no longer in the public school system. She founded the coalition Families Against Banning Books to speak out for those who couldn’t.

For Sepehri, book bans are about more than books or their messages.

“It’s about rewriting history,” Sepehri said. “It’s about censorship. It’s about control. It’s about misogyny and sexism and racism.”

Educator Nancy St. Leger, left, and author Rebekah Shoaf, right, check out some of the banned books displayed during the “Walk for Freadom” kickoff event on Sunday, October 1, 2023 in Coral Gables, Florida. The march began at the Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ and ended at Books & Books. Carl Juste/cjuste@miamiherald.com
Educator Nancy St. Leger, left, and author Rebekah Shoaf, right, check out some of the banned books displayed during the “Walk for Freadom” kickoff event on Sunday, October 1, 2023 in Coral Gables, Florida. The march began at the Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ and ended at Books & Books. Carl Juste/cjuste@miamiherald.com