5 freedoms fueled 1963 march – and much more
The First Amendment is the means, mechanism and method by which we use freedom to participate in self-governance and work to achieve Martin Luther King’s vision of equality.
In Broomfield, CO ‘Bluest Eye’ is Removed Without Being ‘Banned’
The Adams 12 School Board voted to settle a challenge to Toni Morrison's 'The Bluest Eye' in Advanced Placement literature classes. The board voted in support of the superintendent's decision, not outright banning the book but approving such great restrictions as to make the book impossible to teach.
By removing Islam display, Kansas school surrenders to ignorance
Bulletin-board posting was part of what public schools are supposed to be doing in teaching about Islam, Christianity and other faiths in ways that are constitutionally and academically sound.
Russ Rieger, Teen Plaintiff in Pico v. Island Trees, Talks About His Role in the Landmark Supreme Court Case
Russell Rieger, one of five plaintiffs in Pico v. Board of Ed. Russell Rieger was one of five teens who sued their Long Island school district in 1976 for banning 11 books from their classrooms and school libraries. They ended up making history. The Supreme Court concluded in Board of Education, Island Trees Union Free School District v. [...]
Street Artist Essam Talks About His Arrest, Importance of Artistic Freedom
Essam Political street artist Essam Attia, 30, was arrested last November for planting dozens of fake public service ads around Manhattan claiming that the New York Police Department (NYPD) used drones to spy on citizens. The pubic was quick to react, launching an online Free Essam campaign and a petition asking that all charges be dropped. We caught [...]
Photographer Betsy Schneider on the Kohler Arts Center Banning Her Work
Betsy Schneider Are photos of a naked child offensive? Some folks in Sheboygan, WI, thought Betsy Schneider’s images of her growing daughter were offensive and recently pressured the Michael Kohler Arts Center to remove them from a group show. NCAC spoke to Schneider, an award-winning photographer, about her reaction to the ban, her now-teenage daughter’s response to all [...]
Stephen Chbosky on the Return of ‘Perks’ in Chicago, and Why He Wants to Thank Judy Blume
Stephen Chbosky Stephen Chbosky has lost track of the number of times The Perks of Being a Wallflower has been banned in schools across the country. He’s just thrilled that the latest attempt to censor his young adult novel has failed—and middle school kids in Glen Ellyn, IL, now have access to the title in their classrooms once again. [...]
Walter Dean Myers Talks Book-Banning, Writing for Troubled Kids
Walter Dean MyersNational Ambassador for Young People's Literature Award-winning and often banned author, Walter Dean Myers, talks to the Write Stuff about why he writes for “troublemakers,” his biggest challenges about being the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, and his latest work: a self-help book for inner-city kids. What challenges have you had as National Ambassador for [...]
Kansas Board of Regents Must Overturn Exhibit Takedown
NCAC and the ACLU of Kansas and Western Missouri sent a letter urging the board to restore the art exhibition program at Dykes Library, located in the Kansas University Medical Center.
KRRP Defends ‘The Bluest Eye’ Among Others in Latest Spate of Book Challenges
School's out for the summer, but there's no vacation from book challenges. The Kids' Right to Read Project is battling a handful of censorship cases, including a push to remove The Bluest Eye from Advanced Placement courses in Adams County, Colorado. Find out more about the latest battles...