Guantanamo Art: Gone for Good?
If a recent policy change is not reversed, art by Guantanamo detainees may be permanently removed from public view when John Jay College's exhibition closes next week.
One Year In: Trump and Trauma, Threats and Tribalism
A year into one the most divisive presidencies Americans have seen in their lifetimes, free speech is in crisis. NCAC's Director of Programs looks at the most representative issues affecting artistic freedom in the first year of the Trump administration.
Texas Library Evaluates Policy After Criticism of LGBT-Themed Display
A library in Temple, Texas was criticized for highlighting LGBT-themed books during June 2017's celebration of Pride Month and equal space was demanded for anti-LGBT material.
Support Community Advocacy to Reverse Ban on The Hate U Give
With a Texas school board set to meet on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to determine the fate of an acclaimed young adult novel in district libraries, a local teenager has emerged as a vital voice for freedom of inquiry and expression.
Congress Urged to Modify Surveillance Act to Protect Citizen’s Privacy
NCAC has joined a bipartisan coalition of 44 organizations to urge members of the House of Representatives to vote "yes" on the USA RIGHTS amendment and "no" on the FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act (S. 139) if the USA RIGHTS amendment does not pass.
NCAC Calls for Swift Action to Defend Teacher’s First Amendment Rights
Deyshia Hargrave was inappropriately removed from a school board meeting in Louisiana. The First Amendment guarantees all Americans a right to speak, inquire and petition the government.
NCAC Files Amicus Brief Arguing Congressional Art Competition Violated First Amendment Rights of High School Student
The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) and 16 other nonprofits have filed an amicus brief in support of Representative William Lacy Clay of Missouri and his constituent, student artist David Pulphus.
NCAC Condemns Effort to Halt Publication of Book Critical of Trump
NCAC condemned an effort by President Trump’s legal team to intimidate the author and publisher of a forthcoming book critical of the president.
The State of the First Amendment: 2017’s Top Free Speech Offenders and Defenders
During a year of marked ideological divisions, the right to free expression has been challenged by everyone from the alt-right to the far left. Our core values have been attacked by activists across the political spectrum. In this tumultuous year, we commend the allies who refuse to be silenced and continue to defend the right to free speech and its value to our society.
Free Speech and Educational Advocacy Organizations Call on Baltimore City School Administrators to Restore BUCK in Classrooms
An Open Letter to the Baltimore City Public School District: The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) and its partners in the Kids’ Right to Read Project urge administrators to return BUCK: A Memoir by Professor M.K. Asante to the high school curriculum so that students can see their lives reflected in the books they read. Its removal was arbitrary and damaging to students.
NCAC Condemns Trump Administration Censorship of CDC
NCAC condemns the recent move by the Trump administration to censor the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by forbidding the use of certain words in official communications.
My First Protest: Exercising My First Amendment Right
A first-time protester describes her experience of claiming her First Amendment rights to stand up for net neutrality.
NCAC Joins FIRE and SPLC to Support Student Press Freedom at Texas State University
Following the publication of a controversial editorial, an independent student newspaper at TSU has been threatened with revocation of funding and an imposed review of its editorial process.
NCAC Joins Free Press and 30 Other Organizations in Calling for FCC to Cancel Net Neutrality Vote
On Thursday, NCAC joined with more than 30 press freedom, civil liberties and open government groups, led by Free Press, in submitting a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai. The letter urges Pai to cancel a vote scheduled for December 14, 2017 that will likely reverse net neutrality protections instated in 2015. Read the full letter below; [...]
Sneaker Retailer Bricks Over Iconic ‘Spirit of Harlem’ Mural | UPDATE: Footaction Commits to Restoring Mural
A sneaker and apparel company has bricked over an iconic Harlem mural as they re-brand the exterior of their new store. Community members are concerned about the erasure of this tribute to the Harlem Renaissance and the the artists living and working in Harlem today and are questioning its legality.
Masterpiece Cakeshop v Colorado Civil Rights Commission
The Masterpiece Cake case that is currently before the Supreme Court is not about speech--it is about conduct. The First Amendment protects the baker’s right to condemn gay marriage, but it does not exempt him from obeying otherwise valid and neutral business regulations that require that he treat his customers equally.
NCAC Urges Texas School District to Reverse Ban on The Hate U Give
Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give has been removed from school libraries in Katy Independent School District in suburban Houston, Texas. After reviewing the district’s own book review policy, NCAC is formally urging the district’s superintendent to reinstate the book while it is under review.
NCAC Applauds The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Refusal to Remove Painting
More than 10,000 people have signed an online petition demanding the removal of a Balthus painting in response to “the current climate around sexual assault and allegations that become more public each day.” The Met has refused to remove the work.
Cody High School Urged to Keep Acclaimed Book in School Library
Cody District Public Schools will convene a committee in early December to determine whether Tanya Stone’s acclaimed novel, A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl, will remain in the Cody High School library after a single parent complaint led to an appeal for its removal.
NCAC Condemns Government Policy Depriving Americans of Access to Art by Guantanamo Detainees
The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) vehemently objects to the violation of the public’s right to access art by Guantanamo detainees and thus fully participate in the political conversation around Guantanamo. The new directive also violates the human rights of the detainees under international norms and further destruction of the work would impermissibly suppress documents of historical importance.
John Sims: “Confederate Flag: A Public Hanging” at Ohio University and the Kennedy Museum of Art
Johns Sims was finally able to present his work, "Confederate Flag: A Public Hanging", after years of forced adaptation and abridgment.
Keep the Internet Free and Open: Net Neutrality Under Attack (Again)
Net neutrality activists, including NCAC, are urging supporters to make their voices heard in demanding that the Internet remain free and open as the FCC prepares to roll back regulations.
School Cancellation of Muslim Speaker Continues Disturbing National Trend of Suppressing Speech in Response to Threats
The cancellation of a scheduled appearance by a Muslim guest speaker at a Connecticut public school is the latest disturbing example of suppressions of free speech in museums, on college campuses and now at middle schools in response to threats of violence.
Conejo Valley Unified School District Back in Censorship News UPDATE: Board Adopts Controversial Opt-Out Policy
A CA school board is set to vote on a widely criticized policy that would stoke parental fears and anxieties, invite self-censorship and wreak havoc with the curriculum.
Life Imitates Art: By Cancelling Play in Response to Controversy, Brandeis Compromises Freedom of Academic Discussion
Brandeis University has had to cancel a scheduled production of a play by Michael Weller after the playwright and the Theater Department failed to come to terms as to how the play would be presented.
Censored on Campus: Paul Rucker’s Exhibition on Race in America
Paul Rucker's traveling exhibition REWIND, an urgently relevant multi-media installation that addresses the history of racial injustice in America, was closed to the public by York College of Pennsylvania, less than one week into its run. Paul sat down with NCAC to discuss the incident.
NCAC Protests Banning of To Kill A Mockingbird; UPDATE: Victory!
Although some may understandably dislike the book’s use of racial slurs, it is essential to any realistic and pedagogically sound understanding of our nation’s history.
Government Surveillance Threatens Free Speech: Support for the USA RIGHTS Act and Opposition to DHS Social Media Protocols
Government surveillance throws a shadow over all communication, including social media, by making people afraid that the government is looking over their shoulder and inhibiting the free flow of ideas. NCAC has recently signed letters in support of the USA RIGHTS Act, a bipartisan bill in the Senate, and opposing the DHS protocol for collecting and storing social media.
NCAC Stands Up For Student Right to Protest in Oklahoma
NCAC has urged an Oklahoma board of education to rescind its policy of disciplining students who do not stand during the national anthem as students have the right to peaceful and non-disruptive political speech, which includes the right to protest.
NCAC to Honor David Levithan and Joan Bertin on November 6th in New York City
NCAC will honor pioneering author and editor David Levithan and Joan E. Bertin, long-time executive director of NCAC, at NCAC’s Celebration of Free Speech and Its Defenders in New York City on November 6.
NCAC Criticizes Illinois School’s Decision to Remove Book Prior to Review UPDATE: Book Restored to Curriculum!
The groups argue the decision to immediately cease teaching the book in response to a single complaint imposes a “heckler’s veto” on the curriculum and deprives all students of their First Amendment right to read a pedagogically valuable, National Book Award-winning novel. UPDATE: Book restored to curriculum!
NCAC Criticizes American Jewish Historical Society’s Decision to Cancel Events Following Pressure Campaign
The AJHS has sent a chilling and un-democratic message that art and voices that dissent from pro-Israel orthodoxy are not to be tolerated.
NCAC Protests Ban on “Inappropriate” Books by Florida School Official
The groups argue that the directive, which appears to contradict existing district policies, would lead to the exclusion of an extremely large number of books, including literary classics, from Shakespeare to Anne Frank’s A Diary of a Young Girl.
Victory! NCAC Successfully Defends ‘Part-Time Indian’ in Minnesota
In a letter sent last week to the Annandale Board of Education, NCAC affirmed that the right of students to read pedagogically valuable literature must be prioritized over the subjective concerns of select parents
NCAC Statement Supports Right of Students to Protest During National Anthem
By banning or discouraging students from participating in protests against racial discrimination, police brutality and other important issues, schools not only violate their First Amendment rights but deny them the opportunity to join a national debate that can contribute to their civic education.
Threats of Violence are Chilling our Public Sphere
Every time threats of violence succeed in silencing expression, our public sphere is impoverished and even more polarized.
Banned Books Week: Mission Read Freely 2017
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Banned Books Week: YA Author Alan Gratz on Giving Kids the Tools to Resist Censorship
Alan Gratz Alan Gratz has written over a dozen award-winning books for young readers. His latest YA novel, Ban This Book, tells the story of Amy Anne Ollinger, an avid reader who organizes a campaign of resistance when her favorite book and several other titles are removed from the school library. It’s funny, uplifting, enlightening and above all, [...]
Where to Celebrate Banned Books Week 2017!
Happy Banned Books Week! The annual celebration of the freedom to read is running all this week, and the Banned Books Week Coalition invites you to participate by getting involved in the incredible activities brought to you by our sponsor organizations! From theatrical performances, bookstore parties, and online advocacy, there’s lots of ways you can help celebrate Our Right to [...]
Reclaiming the Native American Swastika Symbol: An Interview with Steven Leyba
In August, Artspace, a non-profit organization that manages spaces around the country where artists live and work, ordered the removal of an exhibition from the lobby of its property in Everett, Washington. The exhibition contained works by one of its residents, Steven Leyba, an artist of Native American and Jewish descent. Some of the works in the exhibition featured the swastika [...]