Banned Together. Directed by Kate Way and Tom Wiggin. Video Project, 2024. 93 minutes.

Change the Subject. Directed by Jill Baron and Sawyer Broadley. Dartmouth College, 2019. 54 minutes.

Banned Together and Change the Subject explore systemic bias, censorship, and the power of grassroots activism. These documentaries highlight how student- and community-led efforts can challenge injustice and reshape public discourse. Through compelling storytelling, they serve as pedagogical tools that promote civic engagement, equity, and inclusion—demonstrating the transformative potential of advocacy and the agency of individuals to drive societal change.

Banned Together looks at the increasing wave of book bans and censorship across the United States, centering on the efforts of three high school students in Beaufort, South Carolina. The film captures their determination to defend intellectual freedom and safeguard their right to access diverse perspectives through literature. By presenting a nuanced portrayal of these students and their allies, the documentary contextualizes their activism within a national trend of politically motivated censorship efforts, which frequently target books that address race, gender, and sexuality.

Filmmakers Kate Way and Tom Wiggin craft a narrative that is both deeply personal and politically resonant. The protagonists’ motivations are grounded in their lived experiences—experiences that are often marginalized by dominant narratives. Yet, their campaign to reinstate banned books in school libraries is portrayed not simply as a personal or local issue but as part of a broader struggle over cultural authority, education, and identity. In doing so, Banned Together highlights the ways in which censorship functions as a tool of social control and how activism can challenge its legitimacy.

This theme resonates strongly within the field of library and information science, where debates over intellectual freedom and access to information remain central. Emily Knox (2015) underscores the ideological underpinnings of such censorship and the importance of defending the public’s right to read. As Knox explains, censorship efforts are not simply about protecting children or public morality, but are about controlling narratives and shaping what is considered legitimate knowledge. Banned Together visually dramatizes these concerns, making abstract policy debates tangible through the emotions, ambitions, and resistance of its student protagonists.

Similarly, Change the Subject focuses on student-led activism, but within the context of immigration and library cataloging practices. The documentary follows Dartmouth College students who, upon encountering the term “illegal aliens” in the library's subject headings, launch a campaign to advocate for more respectful and accurate terminology. What begins as a localized response to dehumanizing language escalates into a national movement, eventually prompting debate within the Library of Congress and sparking discourse on Capitol Hill.

Sawyer Broadley and Jill Baron’s film reveals how language—particularly institutional language—can reflect and reproduce systemic bias. The students’ activism exposes the subtle ways in which libraries can perpetuate marginalization of vulnerable populations through outdated and prejudicial practices (Gibson et al. 2017). By tracing the journey students took from library shelves to congressional hearings, the documentary demonstrates how even bureaucratic decisions about metadata and classification have profound political and ethical implications. Change the Subject also challenges the myth of neutrality within information institutions, showing how acts of description and categorization are never value-free. The students’ call to replace “illegal aliens” with more humane alternatives becomes emblematic of broader fights for immigrant rights and dignity. Therefore, the film serves as a critical reminder that libraries are not just repositories of knowledge, but also arenas of ideological contestation.

Together, these two documentaries underscore the importance of civic participation and the enduring relevance of grassroots movements in shaping policy and public discourse. Both films position students as protagonists of social change, using their voices to confront institutional power structures and demand accountability. This shared focus challenges educators to consider how classroom environments can foster similar forms of engagement and critical consciousness.

From a pedagogical standpoint, Banned Together and Change the Subject offer rich opportunities for interdisciplinary discussion. They intersect with topics in library and information science, sociology, political science, and education, among others. More importantly, they model the integration of theory and practice—demonstrating how abstract principles like intellectual freedom, social justice, and democratic participation are lived through concrete action.

Finally, both of these films present compelling narratives of resistance against systemic exclusion and erasure. Through their focus on student-led advocacy, they affirm the capacity of individuals to challenge institutional norms and contribute to social transformation. In a moment when censorship, xenophobia, and political polarization continue to threaten democratic values, these films remind us of the vital role that informed and engaged citizens—especially students—can play in defending the ideals of equity, inclusion, and intellectual freedom. As such, they should be embraced not only as documentary films but also as essential tools for critical education and civic empowerment.

Renate Chancellor is associate professor and associate dean for DEIA at Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies. She holds a master’s and PhD from UCLA. Her research centers on critical race theory, equity, and social justice in library and information science. She authored biographies of Black librarians E. J. Josey and Clara Stanton Jones and coedited A Critical Look at Information Science and Librarianship in a New Age (forthcoming). Dr. Chancellor teaches LIS courses including Cultural Foundations of Information Studies and Public Libraries.