"Each demand to ban a book is a demand to deny each person's constitutionally protected right to choose and read books that raise important issues and lift up the voices of those who are often silenced."
--Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom
In September 2021, the school board in York, Pennsylvania, voted to remove a record-breaking number of books from school libraries in its community. The Panther Anti-Racist Union (PARU) at Central York High School, comprised of four students and two advisors, successfully fought the ban by organizing protests, speaking at school board meetings, and participating in media interviews to raise awareness.
In Ban This!: How One School Fought Two Book Bans and Won (and How You Can Too), the members of PARU--Christina Ellis, Renee Ellis, Edha Gupta, Ben Hodge, Patricia A. Jackson, Olivia Pituch--give actionable advice on how to respond to book challenges that happen in your school and community. Learn how to push back against book bans with arguments against the common reasons given to ban books in schools and public libraries, speak out against censorship, and win the right to intellectual freedom.
Ellis, Christina: - Christina Ellis is an African-Caribbean American activist based in Pennsylvania. She served as the vice president of the Panther Anti-Racist Union during the 2021-2022 school year. Christina, fellow officers, and others worked together to reverse a book ban that her school district placed upon books and resources that promoted diversity and inclusion. Christina and others, currently work to continue to educate others on the importance of diversity, education, and inclusion within her community. She hopes that by sharing her personal journey, she can help to spark hope in the lives of countless people around the nation and beyond.
Ellis, Renee: - Being an African-Caribbean American student activist, Renee Ellis was immersed into activism after her school district, Central York School District, enforced a racially motivated book ban. She became the director of communications and outreach for the Panther Anti-Racist Union, also known as PARU. Organizing and engaging in a series of peaceful protests at her high school and in the community, she helped reverse the ban. Renee currently works with PARU to continue to promote diversity, education, communication, and inclusion.
Gupta, Edha: - Edha Gupta is an activist who served as the president of the Panther Anti-Racist Union during the 2021-2022 school year. Edha and fellow officers successfully protested a school board decision to ban more than 300+ books on diversity education throughout the Central York School District. By sharing the power of her story as an Indian-American, Edha hopes to inspire young activists to make a difference through impactful change, resulting in memorable and long-lasting change in education and throughout the country. She is based in Pennsylvania.
Hodge, Ben: - Ben Hodge is the founder and faculty advisor of the Panther Anti-Racist Union. A 20-year veteran of the classroom, he teaches acting classes at Central York High School and serves as the artistic director for the Central York Performing Arts program. A staunch advocate of the Diversity programming in the Central York School District since 2006, he has focused primarily on diversity education, mediation, and social-emotional awareness. In 2025 he was an Honorable Mention recipient of the NCTE National Intellectual Freedom Award along with his coauthor, Patricia Jackson.
Jackson, Patricia: - Patricia A. Jackson is a 29-year veteran in education. She spent the first half of her career as an administrator and teacher in the School District of the City of York. The latter half has been teaching World Literature and Creative Writing at Central York High School. A fierce LGBTQIA+ advocate, Ms. Jackson facilitates The Beautiful People, a student-run club that creates safe spaces for teens within the school community. When the school board voted to ban hundreds of books based on race and sexual orientation, she joined the Panther Anti-Racist Union as co-advisor to assist the successful fight to overturn that ruling. Her fantasy novel Forging a Nightmare debuted in November, 2021 from Angry Robot Books, UK. In 2025 she was an Honorable Mention recipient of the NCTE National Intellectual Freedom Award along with her coauthor, Ben Hodge.
Pituch, Olivia: - Olivia Pituch is a Pennsylvania-based activist and member of the LGBTQ+ community. She served as secretary and social media advisor on the executive board of the Panther Anti-Racist Union, a student-run club at Central York High School. Along with her fellow officers, Olivia organized multiple protests that led to the reversal of a book ban instituted by the district school board, which removed more than 300+ books on diversity. She plans to continue the fight for diversity and representation by majoring in the field of Political Science.
