Cockrum was delighted to announce the birth of his daughter four days after the news broke that the McMinn County School Board had unanimously voted to remove the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic book about Holocaust from their district’s curriculum. The 25-year old was left grappling with the realities of his hometown after that life-changing moment.
“My father was Jewish; I am Jewish.” Cockrum stated that nothing is more personal than our heritage. This is very troubling.
Cockrum was among a few people who spoke at that meeting to attempt to persuade McMinn County School Board not to make the same decision that has sparked international attention. This decision reaffirmed concerns over book bans as well as the growing threat from antisemitism. The McMinn County School Board quietly removed “Maus”, and February’s meeting was packed full of concerned parents, teachers, and students, who crowded into an overflow area to see how they would respond.
Instead, the board rebutted to a lengthy statement made weeks before that justified its decision that “Maus”, a graphic novel inwhich Jews are depicted as mice and Nazis, in the retelling about the horrors of the Holocaust experience of the author’s family, was inappropriate for children. This was due to curse words and the drawing of a nude corpse.
Only Mike Cochran, a board member, raised the topic Thursday. Cochran recalled a conversation he had with a Rabbi who suggested that a Holocaust survivor could speak to students to replace the book being removed.
He stated, “I want people understand that this had no to do with Holocaust and why we took it out.”
McMinn school board members called an extraordinary meeting on Jan. 10 to discuss “Maus,” just a day before eighth graders in their district were due to start reading the book. Due to time constraints, the meeting was rushed and acted as a matter of urgency. Although no recordings have been made of the meeting, 20 pages of minutes from the meeting show a back-and-forth between school administrators and board members. These officials defended the text as an important lesson that brought home the horrors of an important historical moment.
Minutes show that none of the board members read “Maus”, and at least one member pointed out that the usual process for handling complaints about curriculum had been ignored. The board unanimously voted to remove the book, and instructed teachers to find a replacement.
The news was not broadcast by the Tennessee Holler, an advocacy group. Since then, the book has been at the center of a national debate about teaching disturbing history. This was prompted by recent efforts to limit children’s access to certain materials and discussions. Tennessee’s Republican governor and other leaders are looking for ways to increase scrutiny of what is placed on shelves.
These efforts have sparked fierce resistance from those who were offended by the board’s actions. McMinn County was caught unaware by the decision. Some groups sought out copies of “Maus” to make it available to students via alternate channels. It is now one of Amazon.com’s top-selling books. Booksellers offered to students in McMinn County, Tennessee. To help buy copies around the world, donations have been flooding in.
Art Spiegelman, the author, expressed his dismay at the board’s decision. He used the opportunity to start a conversation about censorship.
Spiegelman stated that “it’s definitely about Jews, but not just about Jews” during a discussion about book bans held earlier this week by the Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga. This virtual discussion was attended by more than 10,000 people.
“This is about the othering, and what’s happening now is about controlling… what children can look at, read, and see in a way they are less able to think. It takes the form criticisms from this board,” said he.
Alex Sharp, a McMinn County librarian, believes that the board’s focus on a few swear words is missing the larger lessons that students should learn when studying the Holocaust and other difficult moments in history. She said that it is also absurd in an age where students can access more offensive material online.
She said that while it contains some bad words, she believes it is far better than what our children are seeing on YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat. You have to remember that they are 13 and 14 years of age. They are not small children anymore. They are entering adulthood and we need to discuss controversial topics with them in order for them to become compassionate human beings.
Cockrum was disbelieving that a book ban had brought Cockrum before a school board as he spoke at Thursday’s meeting.
“I am deeply disappointed by the decision to remove material about my family’s heritage and heritage. He said, “I’d like to question generally: What message does it send to our Jewish neighbours?” “Are these not stories to be learned from?”
