'We The People' poster series by Shepherd Fairey

NCAC is urging a Maryland school district to allow its teachers to display a series of posters promoting diversity and inclusion in America after administrators ordered their removal over concerns of political bias. 

At Carroll County Public Schools (CCPS), Maryland, several teachers put up posters created by Shephard Fairey, best known for his iconic ‘Hope’ image of Barack Obama, in their classrooms. The images depict American women—including a Muslim-American and an African-American—above captions such as “We the People Defend Dignity.” School district officials ordered the removal of the posters, arguing that the posters expressed “a negative view of Donald Trump” and therefore broke school policy that prevents teachers from using classroom materials to sway students politically.

NCAC’s letter argues the school district is wrong to consider the posters as expressing partisan political advocacy. The posters, in fact, advance the goals of CCPS policy by promoting, and encouraging engagement, with the core American values of diversity and tolerance. It underlines the precedent the decision to remove the posters sets; that any charge of bias in discussions around sensitive, but important, topics will lead to censorship.

NCAC has also released a statement in support of a group of district students who are protesting the decision by creating t-shirts that display the censored images.

Read the letter below; click here for a full screen view.

Read the statement below; click here for a full screen view.