CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)--While many students from the College of Charleston are preparing for a weekend full of celebrations and activities, some are kicking off the festivities by educating the campus community on the rich history of African American literature through a book drive.  South Carolina is one of the many states with book bans, including some African American literature. Still, students at the college are working to keep history alive by educating the public.  Our English 313 course, African American Literature, came together to organize a book drive for the students here at CFC. So, parts of our book drive include coming together and bringing African American literature to the campus,” said Miyah Jackson, a senior at the College of Charleston. After 24 months of a pilot program in several schools across the state, the South Carolina Department of Education ended AP African American Studies courses state, and new restrictions on educational materials have led to several books on the topic being removed from school libraries. “I feel a little tearful because, you know, sometimes things can be so politicized, but books are so democrat, so universal that they appeal to every one of us no matter our age or gender or race, whatever walk in life you can read a book,” said Valerie Frazier, a professor at the College of Charleston. Advocates are finding new ways to educate students, like Friday's book drive, and hoping to highlight the importance of teaching African American History. “We all must come together to understand that African-American literature should remain in our schools so we see that in the different demographics of people in our classroom, different demographics people were walking by this table so that they understand that it’s not just the world of one type of person, but everyone needs to come together to fight to continue to have African American books in our classroom,” said Jackson. Officials say they plan to open a mini library for the campus community to access 7 days a week at the beginning of 2025.