WATE TV in Knoxville reports that Alex Haley’s “Roots” has been pulled from Knox County Schools libraries.
Knox County Schools has banned “Roots,” a Pulitzer Prize-winning historical novel by Alex Haley that recounts the multi-generational struggle of his family, starting from the mid-Atlantic slave trade.
Under Tennessee’s Age-Appropriate Materials Act, parents can file a report if they believe classroom materials are inappropriate. KCS banned “Roots” because of Chapter 84, which describes the rape of an enslaved woman by a plantation owner.
“I do remember being a child and watching that miniseries with the world,” said Rev. Reneé Kesler, the president of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center. “There was a lot, and it was overwhelming, but I’ve never forgotten it.”
