NCAC Staff

In Fall 2003, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Treasury Department issued an opinion that trade embargoes against countries such as Iran, Cuba, Iraq, Libya and Sudan prohibit publishers from editing scientific and literary manuscripts by residents of those countries and restrict other academic and intellectual collaborations. Free Speech proponents are pushing for the elimination of these restrictions. [...]

American Association of University Professors - American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression - American Library Association - Association of American University Presses - Feminists for Free Expression - National Coalition Against Censorship - Peacefire - PEN American Center   March 4, 2004 Judd Gregg, Chairman Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions 428 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510-6300 [...]

    The Honorable Fred Upton, Chairman The Honorable Edward J. Markey, Ranking Member House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet 2125 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Dear Mr. Chairman, Congressman Markey: On behalf of our organizations' members and supporters, we write to express our concerns about H.R. 3717, the Broadcast Decency Enforcement [...]

by Leslie Postal Staff Writer Orlando Sentinel A Seminole County family wants to restrict classroom use of an award-winning novel about black life because of its harsh depictions of racism and its use of racial slurs. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is widely used in Florida's public schools and is required reading in some districts, including Orange and Seminole. [...]

Dear School Board Member, We have recently been informed that Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred Taylor, has been challenged as part of the Language Arts Curriculum at Lawton Chiles Middle School. We understand that a parent, who has not read the book, objected because it includes the word "nigger." Although her child was immediately given an alternative [...]

On January 20th in New York City, NCAC will host a conversation at Coliseum Books for NCAC Friends and others featuring authors of important books and articles about the state of the First Amendment in these perilous times.

  Letter from NCAC & the First Amendment Project about Censored Political Art in Fairfield CA   November 18, 2003 John DeLorenzo Director of Community Services Fairfield City Hall 1000 Webster Street Fairfield, CA 94533 fax 707-428-7627 Dear Mr. DeLorenzo, The National Coalition Against Censorship and the First Amendment Project are national organizations concerned with preserving and promoting the fundamental [...]

by Donna Demac In the United States, freedom of speech has meant something like this: the government is forbidden under the First Amendment from censoring or punishing speakers, including the press, for what they say. A balance must be sought between uninhibited public debate about public issues and the state's interests in national security. Historically, the courts have treated art [...]

  Contact the people listed below and let them know how you feel about the recent censorship controversy involving the English Language Arts Regents Examinations in New York. Suggestions include: • Telling them that you are concerned with the practice • Demanding assurances that this will not happen again • Telling the legislators that you want an investigation into how [...]

  Prepared for Joint Hearings New York State Assembly and Senate Education Committees Albany, New York, October 22, 2003 My name is Joan Bertin. I am the Executive Director of the National Coalition Against Censorship ("NCAC"). NCAC is an alliance of 50 national non-profit organizations, including religious, educational, professional, labor and civil rights groups, united in their support for freedom [...]

  Free Speech Groups Protest Nevada County Art Censorship and Call for Guidelines Respecting Artistic Freedom and Cultural Diversity   For Immediate Release October 9, 2003 Arts Advocacy Project at National Coalition Against Censorship, the Oakland, CA First Amendment Project, the ACLU of Northern California and other free speech organizations are protesting the cancellation of the Annual Open Studios Art [...]

October 1, 2003 Nevada County officials ordered the removal of all work from the Annual Open Studios Art Show at the County's Rood Administrative Center. The show, organized by the Nevada County Arts Council, had just opened on September 30th and was scheduled to continue through the end of October. Ironically, the order was issued on the very first day [...]

We write regarding the recent decision to remove the book Sari Says: The Real Dirt on Everything from Sex to School, by Sari Locker. We believe this is a classic case of censorship and urge you to reconsider. It seems clear that the removal of the book was based on objections to its content, which is impermissible under the First Amendment. As the Supreme Court said in Board of Education v. Pico, the constitution does not permit "officially prescribed orthodoxy" which limits what people may read, think, speak, or say.

The James Kennedy Library of Dyersville, Iowa has removed the book Sari Says: The Real Dirt on Everything from Sex to School, by Sari Locker.

Holt, Rinehart and Winston, publishers of a biology textbook under consideration by the Texas Department of Education, has revised the text under pressure from those who claim that Darwinism "is a theory in crisis." The publisher has added a suggestion to "study hypotheses for the origin of life that are alternatives" to evolution. A HRW spokesperson calls the changes "minor," [...]