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 [...]
NCAC Praises CA School for Rejecting Calls to Restrict Classroom Reading
The board met on Monday night to review their literature policy in light of the controversy but voted unanimously to keep it unchanged.
NCAC Calls Trump Administration’s Travel Ban a Violation of Core Free Speech Principles
The brief argues that freedom of speech includes the ability to facilitate the free international exchange of people and ideas.
NCAC Urges Reform to Law Authorizing International Surveillance
Because Section 702 has a potentially chilling effect on privacy and free speech, it has to be reauthorized periodically. It is set to expire at the end of the year.
Using Racist Language in Classroom Reading as a Teachable Moment
In teaching the history of race in America, educators who contextualize racist language in the appropriate historical and social context can deliver a valuable lesson to students in understanding social injustice.
California Parents Protest Reading of Children’s Book With Transgender Theme
The book, which tells Jazz’s story of struggle with having “a girl brain but a boy body,” was brought to school in June by a transitioning kindergartner at Rocklin Academy Gateway School.
Chicagoans Unite to Defend LGBT-themed Book Against Religious Group’s Campaign
NCAC is praising the grassroots efforts of Chicagoans who have set an example for the rest of the country.
NCAC Joins Coalition Defending Online Speech & the Right to Protest from DOJ Overreach
In the letter to the Attorney General, the groups condemned the Department’s overbroad reach and expressed alarm over DOJ investigative tactics that offend the rights of all individuals to political dissent and free assembly.
NCAC Demands Artspace Restore Artwork Featuring Native American Swastika Symbols
Artist Steven Leyba was ordered to remove his paintings despite the fact he was using the symbol to reclaim its original significance in Native American culture.
What You Need to Know About the Arizona Mexican-American Studies Trial; UPDATE: Judge Rules Ban Unconstitutional
The trial will decide whether the cancellation of the Mexican-American studies curriculum in 2010 in Tucson Arizona was done with discriminatory intent.
School Official Calls for Kite Runner’s Removal From Indianapolis Classroom
Book challenge season has begun in Indianapolis!
NCAC Warns CA School District Against Dropping Proposed Curriculum; Victory! Board Finally Votes to Implement Curriculum
By choosing to remove the book, a precedent is set for the success of future book challenges that place objectionable content over pedagogical merit.
NCAC Expresses Concern Over Federal Sex Trafficking Bill
The bill risks eviscerating online free speech protections for websites that host large amounts of user-generated content.
San Diego School District Rejects Challenges to Sex Ed. & Anti-Bullying Initiatives
In the face of discord and subjective morality-based arguments, the board stood up for the rights of all of its students to learn in a safe and respectful environment.
Demands to Cancel Dana Schutz’s ICA Exhibit Don’t Help the Cause for Social Justice
Efforts to blacklist an artist over a controversial painting are not conducive to the goal of overcoming racial inequity.
NCAC Criticizes Effort to Use NY ‘anti-BDS’ Law to Cancel Roger Waters Concerts; Update: Nassau Coliseum Stands by Waters’ Shows
Howard J. Kopel’s interpretation of the Nassau anti-BDS legislation seeks to punish an individual purely for expressing First Amendment-protected views.
NCAC in the Ventura County Star: Conejo censorship sets chilling precedent
Ventura County Star, Local-CA, 7/17/2017
NCAC Urges Wisconsin Superintendent to Retain Award-Winning Novel in Curriculum; UPDATE: Victory! Board Finally Votes to Retain Book
The groups emphasize that the mere presence of explicit language and violence in a book provides no justification for its removal.
On July 12th, Join The ‘Battle For The Net’: An Internet-Wide Day of Action to Save Net Neutrality
On July 12th, NCAC is taking part in the Battle for the Net, which is shaping up to the largest mobilization of internet users ever.
Why NCAC Objects to ‘Restore Campus Free Speech’ Bills
Yesterday, NCAC sent a letter to North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper urging him to veto a bill dubbed as a measure to “restore” and “preserve” free speech on state college campuses. But why would an organization devoted to free expression like NCAC object to an effort to safeguard free speech at universities?