Utah School District Censors School Library Books
Canyons School District in Utah has censored several award-winning books from school libraries in violation of its own district policies.
Northampton Arts Council Wrong to Cancel Biennial Over Criticism from Indigenous Artist
The Northampton Arts Council cancelled its 2021 biennial exhibition days before it was to open following criticism from an Indigenous artist about a particular work and the overall selection process.
New Jersey School District Omits Librarians from Review of Several LGBTQ+ Library Books | UPDATED
A New Jersey school district did not include any librarians in its review of several challenged award-winning LGBTQ-themed library books.
Toni Morrison Book Among Those Removed from Virginia Beach School Libraries
Virginia Beach City Public Schools removed several books, including such award-winning books as A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines, The Bluest Eye by Nobel laureate Toni Morrison, and Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison, from school libraries.
Hudson, Ohio, School District Preemptively Removes Lawn Boy From School Libraries
Hudson, Ohio, school officials improperly removed Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison from school library shelves before a review of the book was complete.
NCAC Urges Texas School District to Keep Jerry Craft Books in Libraries
Katy Independent School District in Texas removed two books by Jerry Craft from school libraries because of a parent complaint about "promoting Critical Race Theory", possibly violating the First Amendment
Parents Call for Censorship of It’s Perfectly Normal at Cass County, Missouri, Public Library
NCAC urges Missouri's Cass County Public Library to resist calls to censor It's Perfectly Normal, a book about puberty.
NCAC Objects to Removal of Out of Darkness from Lake Travis, Texas, School Libraries
NCAC has written to officials in Lake Travis Independent School District in Austin, Texas, after reports emerged that a historical novel has been removed from libraries before an official was completed, in violation of district policy.
NCAC Urges Central York, Pennsylvania, School District to Improve Policy After Diverse Book Ban Controversy
Students in York, Pennsylvania, successfully challenged a district-wide ban on diverse resource materials.
NCAC Responds to Troubling Censorship of College-Level Writing Class in Ohio High School
NCAC has written to the mayor and joined with FIRE and PEN America in a letter to the superintendent of Hudson City Schools after controversy erupted in Hudson, Ohio, over the appearance (but not use) of writing prompts that allude to sexual experience in an optional, college-level writing course, the school seized the books from students and the mayor threatened to prosecute the school board.
Artists, Curators and Advocates Condemn Florida Mayor’s Political Censorship of Coral Gables Public Art Show
In July 2021, echoing the rhetoric of the 1950s McCarthy era and in flagrant disregard of fundamental constitutional principles, Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago urged the city’s commissioners to condition city funding for Illuminate Coral Gables, a public art show, on the exclusion of two of the participating artists because of their purported political views. As artists, arts professionals and free speech organizations we are deeply troubled by demands to censor a public art show so as to penalize political viewpoints.
NCAC Applauds North Carolina Governor’s Veto of Bill Aimed at Censoring Teaching on Racism
The National Coalition Against Censorship applauds North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper’s recent veto of House Bill 324, which would have regulated the teaching of certain concepts commonly (and often mistakenly) associated with Critical Race Theory.
NCAC Criticizes Censorship of LGBTQ History Exhibit at Missouri State Capitol
The National Coalition Against Censorship has written to Missouri Governor Michael L. Parson after state officials removed an exhibit about LGBTQ history from the Missouri Capitol.
Coalition Calls for Biden Administration to Prioritize Privacy and Civil Liberties in Filling Vacancies
NCAC has joined a coalition of 20 organizations led by the ACLU in urging the Biden Administration to appoint privacy and civil liberties-minded candidates to fill the existing vacancies on the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) and uphold government transparency. The PCLOB, created based on a recommendation of the 9/11 commission, was charged by Congress in 2007 to [...]
NCAC Joins 90+ Organizations in Urging Apple to Abandon Plans to Weaken Digital Privacy and Security
NCAC joined with more than 90 civil society groups, led by the Center for Democracy and Technology, in submitting a letter to Apple urging the company to abandon its plans to build surveillance capabilities into iPhones, iPads, and other Apple Products. The plans, announced on August 5, 2021, are designed to protect children and reduce the spread of child sexual abuse [...]
NCAC Joins Letter Calling on Arkansas Superintendent to Reprint Censored Yearbook Pages
The National Coalition Against Censorship has signed on to a letter by the Student Press Law Center calling on the Superintendent of Arkansas’s Bigelow High School to reprint yearbook pages that were censored after alleged “community backlash.” The letter also asks that the Superintendent apologize to the yearbook staff and former adviser Meghan Walter who resigned due to the censorship. [...]
NCAC Objects to PBS Censorship of LGBTQ+ Children’s Program
NCAC asks PBS for a policy change after it removed from its national website an LGBTQ+ children's program featuring a drag queen.
Instagram Censors, Then Uncensors, Almodóvar Movie Poster
NCAC applauds Instagram's reversal of its censorship of the movie poster for Pedro Almodóvar's Madres Paralelas and calls for the same standard to apply to all artistic content on the platform.
NCAC Objects to Removal of Artwork by Public Officials in California
The National Coalition Against Censorship is concerned that the City of Encinitas’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts has removed several works from an exhibition because of apparent discomfort with some of the content of those works. The censored artist, Elena Karavodin, was selected by the city to produce a number of works for an exhibition in one of [...]
Bullock Texas State History Museum Censors History Book Event
NCAC objects to Bullock Texas State History Museum cancellation of an event for "Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of An American Myth" under pressure from a number of state politicians, including Lt. Governor Dan Patrick.
Supreme Court Rules on Off-Campus Student Speech Rights in Mahanoy vs. B.L. Case
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a student's First Amendment rights for off-campus speech, but the Mahanoy decision left questions unanswered.
Non-Partisan Coalition Statement Opposing “Divisive Concepts” Legislation
Non-partisan coalition statement in a response to attempts to limit teaching related to critical race theory, under a broad umbrella of "divisive concepts," including free speech and First Amendment framework for opposition advocacy.
Don’t Delete Art Hosts Workshop for Artists on How to Avoid Instagram Censorship
On June 2, 2021, artists Dina Brodsky, Savannah Spirit, and Spencer Tunick hosted a conversation to share advice on how to tag, contextualize, or modify artwork on Instagram so as to improve its chances of not being removed. The webinar is part of Don't Delete Art, a gallery, resource center and campaign advocating for artistic freedom on social media. [...]
NCAC in Publishers Weekly: Publishing and Censorship
NCAC's Executive Director, Chris Finan, wrote two columns for Publishers Weekly looking at the long history of book publishing's role in fighting censorship and promoting free expression.
Censorship Tarnishes Veteran Voices Show at Walt Disney Family Museum
An exhibition, Veterans' Voices: Painted Realities, at Walt Disney Family Museum left out two controversial images by artist Amos Gregory.
North Carolina School District Appears to Ban Book One of a Kind, Like Me for Acknowledging Gender Identity Issues
NCAC is concerned by the treatment of Laurin Mayeno's One of a Kind, Like Me in a North Carolina school district based on the perception that the book addresses gender identity issues.
NCAC Asks New Jersey School District to Clarify Overly Broad Material Vetting Policy
The National Coalition Against Censorship is concerned about a new policy at Montclair Public Schools that threatens to chill teachers' ability to select instructional material that deals with race, ethnicity, religion or sexuality.
NCAC Objects to Removal of Ghost Boys from Broward County School in Florida
NCAC objects to the decision to remove the novel Ghost Boys from a school in Broward County, Florida.
NCAC Statement on Publisher’s “Pause” on Blake Bailey Book | UPDATED
NCAC is troubled by the decision of W.W. Norton to “pause” distribution of one of its books due to allegations against its author.
Oklahoma School District Bans Black Lives Matter Shirts
NCAC criticizes Ardmore schools in Oklahoma for banning Black Lives Matter shirts.
Statement on Academic Freedom at Columbia University
The National Coalition Against Censorship is deeply concerned about efforts to punish an adjunct professor at Columbia University for not censoring a racial slur out of a quotation she used in class.
Facebook Oversight Board Upholds Decision to Ban Donald Trump
Facebook's Oversight Board upheld the decision to suspend then-President Donald Trump's account in the wake of the Capitol riots
NCAC Applauds Simon & Schuster For Rejecting Petition Demanding Former Trump Associates Not Be Published
NCAC applauds Simon & Schuster’s decision to reject a petition from more than 200 of its employees demanding that it not publish books by former members of the Trump administration.
NCAC Objects to Student Protest Ban in South Sioux City, Nebraska, School District
A Nebraska school district recently banned all protests on school grounds in violation of students' First Amendment rights.
Artist Dread Scott Censored by Instagram for “Hate Speech”
Instagram censored a post by Dread Scott showing his artwork "White people can't be trusted with power" for violating their hate speech policy.
States Consider Bills That Threaten Protest Rights
State legislatures considering 68 bills that would limit the right to protest.
Acclaimed Challenged Author Jason Reynolds Will Headline 2021 Banned Books Week
Jason Reynolds to headline Banned Books Week 2021, which has the theme, “Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us.” Two of Reynolds' books for young people made the Top 10 banned and challenged books of 2020 for their handling of issues around racism and racial justice.
Legislation and Book Bans Target Teaching About Social Justice and Racism in Schools
Seven states are considering legislation to ban the teaching of "divisive concepts," which encompasses certain teaching about social justice and structural inequality.
Anti-LGBTQ Book Legislation Proceeds in Multiple States
Across the country, state lawmakers are considering legislation that aims to ban teaching books with LGBTQ themes and punish teachers for exposing students to material that addresses sexuality and gender expression.
Censorship News Issue 134
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