Over 100 teen filmmakers spoke Truth to Power for this year’s YFEP Film Contest. We invited teens to speak directly to those in power to lead change about issues that matter to them. The 12 finalist films tackled a wide range of polarizing, and often taboo, topics including gun violence, immigrant family separation, gender equality, toxic masculinity, shaming and [...]
On June 25th, the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) is scheduled to vote on the fate of thirteen 1930s Works Progress Administration (WPA) murals at George Washington High School. The murals, created in fresco by Russian-American social realist painter Victor Arnautoff, can only be removed by the irreversible act of destroying them. The heightened political tensions of the moment [...]
San Francisco Art Institute Professor Dewey Crumpler defends WPA murals created by Russian-American social realist painter Victor Arnautoff in this video produced by the GWHS Alumni Association. Crumpler discusses how they relate to his own murals commissioned in 1974 in response to them. On June 25th, the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) will vote on whether to remove [...]
Doane University in Nebraska has closed a library display and suspended the library director over the inclusion of historical photos of students wearing blackface.
Florida prison officials banned a newsweekly over an article about Albert Woodfox, a former inmate who wrote a book about his imprisonment in solitary confinement for over 40 years.
Facebook’s policy team has committed to convening a group of stakeholders to consider a new approach to nudity guidelines.
Despite careful efforts by NCAC and Spencer Tunick to create an artwork that closely adheres to Facebook and Instagram's nudity guidelines, the hashtag for the #WeTheNipple campaign has been blocked on Instagram.
NCAC and artist Spencer Tunick created a nude art action in front of Facebook and Instagram's New York City headquarters as part of their #WeTheNipple campaign against art censorship on social media.
After intervention from artists, advocates and community groups, a compromise has been reached that will allow the mural to remain with artist Beau Stanton overseeing changes to the work.
In addition to likely violating the artist’s constitutional right to free expression, the removal of the work is antithetical to the spirit of Memorial Day and shows a particular disregard for its African American roots.
By seeking to punish Assange for the publication of secret information, the Justice Department has crossed a line that threatens the public's right to view information that is damaging to the government.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is considering legislation intended to combat anti-Semitism that poses a serious threat to the free speech rights of Floridians. NCAC and PEN America are gravely concerned.
The City of Carrollton, Georgia pulled its sponsorship from a theater production of Calendar Girls in response to the play’s textual references to nudity, raising serious First Amendment concerns.
Controversy arose in Hanover County, Virginia, after a parent complained about PRIDE: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag being read aloud in a second-grade classroom.
A student artwork critical of police was removed from a school exhibition in Madeira, Ohio, flagrantly disregarding the student's rights.
NCAC urges the school to consider the serious, irreversible ramifications of destroying thirteen WPA murals at George Washington High School.
As a criminal defense attorney, and a mother, I am used to not being liked occasionally, and as necessary.
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Support for free speech is not a dogma never to be questioned. When white supremacists violently march in Charlottesville under the banner of “free speech” while NFL players are penalized for protesting the murder of unarmed black people, can one still insist that those of us standing up against racism and working towards a more equitable society should engage politely with racist ideologues?
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In their visceral new performance piece, queer performance artist Elyla Sinvergüenza (Fredman Barahona) transforms a hyper-masculine ritual from Nicaragua’s patriarchal tradition into an immersive experience of healing for artist and audience members alike.
Coalition responds to reports of surveillance and targeting of activists, journalists, and lawyers by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
When a nation built on broad protections for speech faces times of deep political division, it must draw a firm line between freedom of speech and violent conduct or disruptive behavior aimed at silencing others.
School officials have broad discretion to establish curricula and decide what materials to include in their classrooms and libraries. However, parents, special interest groups and others sometimes attempt to impose their personal beliefs on the public school system and demand the removal of educational materials. Listed below are some general considerations school administrators should take into account when such challenges [...]
ALA's Most Challenged Books list for 2018 is dominated by LGBTQ stories and characters, reflecting a growing trend.
We join PEN America, a member of our coalition, in opposing Washington State’s decision to restrict access to used books in prisons.
NCAC will closely monitor policy changes that result from this Executive Order and will continue to support colleges and universities in maintaining their institutional autonomy and celebrating diverse inquiry.
A discussion of what to do with the art of morally compromised artists, how morally compromised is "too" morally compromised, whether it matter if the artist is alive and, ultimately, who decides upon these issues of what is acceptable
Proposed Florida legislation threatens to weaken academic freedom, chill the work of educators, interfere with students' rights to access information, and cost school districts time and money.
Thirty-nine organizations are pressing for Congress to investigate whether the government has exceeded the limits of what is allowed by Section 215 of the Patriot Act.
An overview of what you can, and can't, use in a student film.
We’ve collected all the information you’ll need to make a great 4-minute film on a shoe-string budget!
The National Coalition Against Censorship is gravely concerned about President Trump's vague announcement of a proposed executive order tying federal research funding to universities' adherence to a free-speech code.
NCAC is offering support to Allegheny College in encouraging its student artist to re-display their work after social media controversy and to offer students support in navigating such controversies around their work.
Despite hard-won progress towards LGBTQ equality, books centering LGBTQ characters and stories remain among the most frequently challenged and banned in schools and libraries. The freedom to read stories about people of diverse sexual and gender identities can validate and empower all youth, especially those who may identify as LGBTQ. When LGBTQ youth do not see themselves represented in [...]
The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey relocated an art installation depicting the Saudi Arabian flag after public complaints.
Maine lawmaker's attempts to label educational material obscene threatens intellectual freedom.
The Senate considers a bill expressing federal support for state and local anti-BDS laws.
Marvin Rich helped found NCAC and dedicated his life to civil rights and equality.
Image courtesy of Drew Kerr The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) urges Queens Library to restore an exhibition of photographs it canceled and allow it to run for three weeks as originally planned. Drew Kerr’s exhibition, Faces of The 7 Train, consists of 32 black-and-white photographs that the artist shot of passengers on the 7 train over the course of [...]
