LeVar Burton has a message for the youth, and while his words are simple, the weight they carry is not.
Speaking amid a war being waged between lawmakers, school boards and parents concerned about what books are being taught in schools, Burton recommends that kids "read banned books."
His controversial remarks were made during a cameo on "The Daily Show With Trevor Noah." In a video clip, the scenario unfolds as if it were an episode of the beloved PBS children’s show "Reading Rainbow," which Burton hosted for more than two decades.
"I am so excited to read with you today," he says. "Our first selection is called 'Rosa,' and it's the story of Rosa Parks, who ..."
The feed then cuts to a black-and-white static screen with the message "Please stand by" and "content violation."
After a few seconds, Burton reappears on the screen explaining that, "as it turns out, that book is banned because reading about segregation is divisive."
"Almost any book with Black people these days is considered divisive," Burton adds before moving on to a book he believes will be more suitable because "it doesn't have any people in it at all," therefore making it devoid of controversy.
The book in question is "And Tango Makes Three" by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, which is about two male penguins who start a family.
"Both penguins are boys," Burton says before the "content violation" message appears again.
"Well, I’m told that that book is also banned because of sexual perversion, which is weird because there’s no sex in the book at all," Burton says when he reappears. He then suggests "Hop on Pop" by Dr. Seuss because "they can't possibly have a problem" with the book, but he is interrupted by the message once again.
"What? Disrespectful to parents? You got to be kidding me!" Burton says seemingly in reference to a request to ban the book made in 2014 by a Toronto father for "encourag[ing] children to use violence against their fathers," according to Time.
He then tells viewers they can go and find their own books to read.
"Read the books they don't want you to. That's where the good stuff is," he says as the sound of police sirens wail. "Read banned books!" he yells before running offscreen.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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