NCAC's Kids' Right to Read Project organized and sent a letter, cosigned by eight other organizations, to the Watauga County School District reconsideration committee regarding a challenge to Isabel Allende's "House of the Spirits." The book is being taught in 10th grade honors English.
NCAC has partnered with the Freedom To Read Foundation and other library, education, and free speech organizations in filing an amicus brief with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Arce v. Huppenthal, arguing that a statute which led to the disbanding of Tucson’s Mexican American Studies (MAS) program violates Arizona students’ First Amendment rights.
**Victory! San Bernardino County Restores Artwork! NCAC congratulates artists, community members, and ACLU for defending First Amendment principles** Read the whole story in the San Bernardino Sun. This past September, NCAC received a call from an artist outraged at the removal of three paintings from the Hispanic National Heritage Art Exhibition at the San Bernardino County Government Center. Apparently [...]
In a letter to members of Congress, NCAC and other civil society groups, companies and investors call for a complete overhaul of government surveillance. The letter demands transparency and oversight ahead of a U.S. Senate Judiciary hearing on 21 November on “Oversight of U.S. government surveillance authorities.”
Renowned artist Kara Walker goes "off-script" for a moment at NCAC's Free Speech Matters Celebration to raise the possibility of "the censor as an opportunity" in the context of art, before presenting a Free Speech Defender award to Newark Public Library Executive Director Wilma Grey. In 2013, Grey courageously restored a display of a controversial work by Walker. Grey's willingness [...]
Outside, a panorama view of the New Jersey skyline, reflected light twinkling on the east river; inside, talk of books, art, community, and censorship. This past Tuesday, NCAC celebrated its 39th year at our annual “Celebration of Free Speech and … Continue reading →
Author and activist Ben White will speak at Brooklyn College today at an event entitled “Israel: Aparteid not Democracy,” organized by Students for Justice in Palestine. Nearly two dozen other campus and other groups are supporting the lecture, including — notably — the English, Political Science … Continue reading →
Neil Gaiman’s bestselling novel Neverwhere has been returned to classrooms in Alamogordo, New Mexico, after the approval of a review committee and worldwide protest that included a letter signed by CBLDF! District spokesperson Doyle Styling talked to Karyn M. Peterson with the School Library Journal: “[Neverwhere] did go through a review process and it was found to be educationally suitable, balanced, and age-appropriate for high school students.” The book has been on district required reading lists since 2004, but it had not been challenged until parent Nancy Wilmott recently complained over content she deemed inappropriate for her 15-year-old daughter. Wilmott took exception to language and what she called “sexual innuendo” in the book, claiming that “This is rated R material, and she cannot get into a rated R movie.” The book was removed from classrooms during the review period, but it remained available in the library, a move that was openly supported by AHS principal Darian Jaramillo. Wilmott cited one passage in her complaint, which appears on p. 86 of the paperback edition of the book and reads as follows: A late-night couple, who had been slowly walking along the Embankment toward them, holding hands, sat down in the middle of [...]
NCAC and partners sent a letter to the Billings School District on Monday defending Sherman Alexie's Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. The book is taught in 10th grade classrooms. At a well-attended school board meeting this week, many supporters of the book spoke out in its defense.
Last week, NCAC staff members spoke about on-going censorship issues in front of audiences in New York and beyond. NCAC Programs Director Svetlana Mintcheva participated in a panel on photography and censorship at the Photoplus Expo, held in New York … Continue reading →
