Preventing students from reading books about sensitive topics does not address the underlying issues the books critique in our society.  To ignore these issues is to help foster hate, indifference, and inequality.  One thing every member of this community wants is to create a better world; a world where we can speak our minds and not be silenced by the iron fist of authority.  In the case of these particular books, the motivations behind banning them are clear: they tell stories of African-American struggle.  These books serve as critiques of issues in our society today, such as police brutality, racism, and injustice.  One who seeks to silence the voices of the few is simply an aid in their mistreatment.  Reading is about understanding people with different perspectives and seeing the world through their eyes.  When white people try to silence black voices, they prevent the spread of understanding and empathy in our community.  The first amendment of the United States Constitution protects the right to freedom of speech—and that's all these books are.  They are written speech, only from perspectives we don't see very often in our community.  Such a homogenous group is bound to feel averse to something different than their own views, but that does not give anyone the right to censor these books.