{"id":2102019,"date":"2023-11-17T14:52:01","date_gmt":"2023-11-17T19:52:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/levar-burton-jokes-about-fighting-moms-for-liberty-at-national-book-awards\/"},"modified":"2023-11-17T14:55:05","modified_gmt":"2023-11-17T19:55:05","slug":"levar-burton-jokes-about-fighting-moms-for-liberty-at-national-book-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/levar-burton-jokes-about-fighting-moms-for-liberty-at-national-book-awards\/","title":{"rendered":"LeVar Burton jokes about fighting Moms for Liberty at National Book Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flevar-burton-jokes-about-fighting-moms-for-liberty-at-national-book-awards%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2102019&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Actor \u2064LeVar Burton Takes a Stand Against Moms for Liberty at National Book Awards<\/h2>\n<p>At the 74th National Book \u200cAwards ceremony in New York City, actor LeVar Burton didn&#8217;t hold back in his speech. Before the winners\u2063 were announced,\u200b Burton took a playful jab at conservative political organization Moms for Liberty.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;Before we get going, are \u2063there any Moms for Liberty in the house? Moms for Liberty? No? Good,&#8221; Burton exclaimed. &#8220;Then hands will not need to be thrown tonight.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Moms for Liberty, founded in 2021 by two concerned Florida mothers, has been involved \u2063in \u200d<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/levar-burton-jokes-about-fighting-moms-for-liberty-at-national-book-awards\/\" title=\"LeVar Burton jokes about fighting Moms for Liberty at National Book Awards\">shaping school library collections<\/a>. However, Burton highlighted the broader issue\u200d of the battle for truth and interpretation \u2063in the United\u200c States.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;Books are being banned, words are being silenced, \u2063and writers and others\u200d who champion books are under\u200b attack,&#8221; Burton passionately stated. &#8220;And there is a reason,\u2063 I believe, why books\u2062 are under attack \u2014 it&#8217;s because \u2062they are so powerful. \u2064Stories are the tool that enable us to better understand\u2064 ourselves and, yes, our history.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Notably, talk show host Oprah Winfrey \u200calso condemned book \u200bbans in her own speech at\u2063 the event.<\/p>\n<h3>Change of Host and Burton&#8217;s Background<\/h3>\n<p>Originally, actress Drew Barrymore was set to host the ceremony.\u2062 However, due to a controversy surrounding her <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dennis-prager-should-society-tell-10-year-olds-the-world-is-a-better-place-with-you-in-it\/\" title=\"Dennis Prager: Should Society Tell 10-Year-Olds, \u201cThe World Is a Better Place With You in It\u201d?\">talk show&#8217;<\/a>s production during the \u2063Writers Guild of America strike, she was replaced. Burton, known\u200c for his role in the iconic \u200ctelevision series Roots and as the former host of Reading Rainbow, stepped in \u200dto deliver \u2064an impactful speech.<\/p>\n<p>Today, Burton continues to promote literacy through his podcast, LeVar Burton Reads, where he shares captivating\u200c readings\u2062 of short stories.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> Who\u200b else at the event condemned book\u2062 bans and what did \u2062they emphasize in their speech<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Actor LeVar Burton made waves at the 74th National \u200cBook Awards ceremony with his spirited speech addressing the issue of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vp-mike-pence-well-have-our-day-in-congress-on-jan-6\/\" title=\"VP Mike Pence: We\u2019ll have our day in Congress on Jan. 6\">book bans<\/a> and the \u2064battle for \u2062truth and interpretation in\u200c the United\u200c States. Burton, who\u200b gained \u200cfame for his\u200d roles in the television series Roots and as the former host of Reading Rainbow, did\u2064 not shy away from expressing his \u2063opinions about conservative political\u2062 organization Moms for Liberty.<\/p>\n<p>Before the \u2063winners of\u200d the awards were \u200bannounced, Burton \u2064lightly\u2062 teased the organization, \u200casking\u2063 if there were any Moms for Liberty \u200cpresent. Upon receiving no \u2064response, \u200che quipped, &#8220;Then hands will not need to be\u2062 thrown tonight.&#8221; Moms \u200dfor Liberty,\u200d founded by two <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/transgender-nickelodeon-star-urges-children-to-cheer-on-trans-friends-as-they-express-themselves\/\" title=\"Transgender Nickelodeon Star Urges Children To \u2018Cheer On\u2019 Trans Friends \u2018As They Express Themselves\u2019\">concerned mothers<\/a> from Florida\u200c in 2021, has\u2062 been actively involved in shaping school library collections. However, Burton used \u2062this opportunity \u200bto shed light on the \u2062broader issue of censorship and\u200c the attacks faced \u2062by those who defend\u200b books and freedom of expression.<\/p>\n<p>In \u200chis impassioned speech, Burton\u2062 emphasized\u2062 the power of\u2062 books and stories as tools for understanding\u2064 ourselves\u2062 and our\u2062 history. He spoke about \u200cthe \u200calarming trend of\u200b books being banned and the suppression of words, lamenting the \u200cfact that writers and advocates for books are under attack. His \u2063words struck a chord with the audience, resonating with the shared belief in \u200cthe power of \u200dliterature.<\/p>\n<p>Burton was\u2063 not the only prominent \u2063figure at the\u200d event to condemn book bans. Talk show host Oprah Winfrey also spoke out against censorship in her own \u200cspeech, underscoring the importance of protecting\u2064 the freedom to read and \u2064think critically.<\/p>\n<p>It is worth mentioning that the hosting duties for\u200c the event underwent a change. Actress Drew\u200c Barrymore was initially scheduled to host the ceremony.\u2062 However, due to controversy surrounding her talk show&#8217;s production during the Writers Guild of America strike, she was replaced. Burton, renowned for\u2064 his dedication to promoting\u200d literacy \u2063and reading, \u200bstepped in and delivered a compelling speech that \u200bcaptivated the audience.<\/p>\n<p>Today, Burton continues \u2063to \u200dbe a\u2063 champion for\u200b literacy through \u200dhis podcast, LeVar Burton Reads. With his captivating readings\u2062 of\u2062 short stories, he\u200c keeps the joy of \u2064reading alive and\u200b inspires listeners to explore the power of literature.<\/p>\n<p>LeVar Burton&#8217;s fearless stand against Moms for \u200cLiberty and his passionate defense of books\u2062 at the National Book Awards ceremony have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-actor-ilan-srulovicz-battles-against-intolerant-hollywood\/\" title=\"How Actor Ilan Srulovicz Battles Against Intolerant Hollywood\">sparked important conversations<\/a> about the freedom of expression and the crucial role of literature in our society. His words serve as a reminder of the need to protect both the diversity of ideas and the right\u2063 to access \u2062knowledge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Actor LeVar Burton made a dig at conservative political organization Moms for Liberty in his speech at the 2023 National Book Awards. The 74th awards ceremony took place in New York City on Wednesday. Before the winners of the National Book Award for young people\u2019s literature, translated literature, poetry, nonfiction, and fiction were announced, Burton<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2102020,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2102019","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2102019","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2102019"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2102019\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2102020"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2102019"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2102019"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2102019"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}