By Craig Simpson
Per an article in The Guardian opens in a new tab, an East Texas county library had categorized a Native American history book as fiction after a decision was made by a citizen review committee. The book, Colonization and the Wampanoag Story opens in a new tab by Aquinnah Wampanoag Linda Coombs, was moved to the fiction shelves of Montgomery County Public Library. The Montgomery County Citizens Review Committee ordered this reclassification.
A progressive group National Campaign for Justice started a petition opens in a new tab saying “Montgomery County, Texas has crossed the line by ordering public libraries to reclassify a factual children’s book on Native Americans as ‘fiction’, effectively labeling the mistreatment of Indigenous peoples as make-believe.” The campaign has resulted in 34,000 people signing the early petition, and the book was put back in the non-fiction section within days. Move-On, a national progressive organization, also supported this campaign with their own petition.
Here is the statement after signing the Move-On petition:
Thank you for signing my petition. With your help, we’ve already reached people who care deeply about the importance of Indigenous history. I’m glad to say the county has reversed its decision and moved Linda’s book back to the nonfiction section. We still have work to do to find equal balance in how Native Americans are portrayed, but this is a positive step and a win for truth.
Linda Coombs was an advisor to C.E.A.S.E. (Concerned Educators Allied for a Safe Environment) — the predecessor of P.E.A.C.E. — and she was involved in our Wampanoag Curriculum project in the late 1990s. She is a well respected tribal historian and educator.
