B.C. Premier David Eby expressed his disapproval of the Surrey school board’s decision to remove “To Kill a Mockingbird” due to equity concerns. He defended the book as profoundly anti-racist and emphasized the importance of understanding its power. The Surrey School District removed several books from its curriculum reading list, including Harper Lee’s classic novel that addresses racism and prejudice in the context of a young girl, her lawyer father, and a black man wrongly accused of a crime.
The decision to remove “To Kill a Mockingbird” was explained by the Surrey school board’s associate director of communications, Ratinder Matthew, who cited the equity lens used to evaluate the curriculum. The review of the books began a year ago based on feedback from parents and caregivers who shared concerns about their students feeling unsafe in certain classroom situations. Other books, such as “Of Mice and Men,” “In the Heat of the Night,” and “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” were also eliminated from the recommended school reading list.
Despite the Pulitzer Prize-winning status and global publication of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” the book faced removal in the Surrey School District. B.C. Premier David Eby criticized the decision, describing the book as beautiful and urging the board to reconsider. Opposition Leader Kevin Falcon also expressed disappointment in the removal of influential authors from the curriculum, emphasizing that challenges faced by students in British Columbia are related to social media, drugs, and mental health rather than impactful literature. Instances of book banning in other school districts were highlighted, raising concerns about freedom of speech and the suppression of diverse viewpoints.