Emmanuel Acho recently shared the book he authored, Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man has been removed from select libraries and schools, including the Naval Academy public library.
During Monday morning’s edition of The Facility on FS1, Acho spoke about Jalen Hurts opting to skip the Philadelphia Eagles trip to the White House, while Saquon Barkley accepted an invite to golf with President Donald Trump. Acho supported both decisions, but called Barkley out for acting “ignorant” to the criticism he received after accepting a one-on-one with Trump.
“You can’t act ignorant to the repercussions that are awaiting,” Acho said. “There are some people who feel very passionately, and they will let you know. My book, Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man, it has been banned by the Naval Academy based upon those that are in office. Been banned! I have literally faced the repercussions of what is currently going on by our government and society…You just can’t act ignorant, Saquon. You do have to understand the climate that we’re living in.”
Earlier this month, 381 books were removed from the U.S. Naval Academy’s Nimitz Library as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and practices. Initially, 900 books were flagged, including Jackie Robinson’s biography, but 381 books were ultimately removed following an order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, with Acho’s work being one of them.
Acho addressed the removal earlier this month in more detail, noting his issue with the decision wasn’t even about the “hundreds of hours” he spent on the New York Times bestseller.
“The issue is that we live in a society that is currently intentionally removing certain pieces of literature from our library,” Acho said. “See, someone suggested if you focus on the past, you can’t move forward to the present. But what I would suggest is that if you don’t learn from history, it might just repeat itself.”
“We live in a world…that is robbing our future of true history,” Acho added. “Be mindful my friend, be mindful. I don’t know about you, but this is really plaguing my spirit.”
Emmanuel Acho launched Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man as a YouTube series in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd. The viral digital series was later turned into a book that was released Nov. 10, 2020. While the book is still available for purchase online, Acho says it was banned from several libraries as part of anti-DEI efforts by the Trump administration, most notably at the Naval Academy.