Kansas Library Defending LGBTQ Stories from Challengers | UPDATE: VICTORY!
A library in Kansas is considering a second challenge to three widely-lauded LGBTQ books for youth.
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Why (Your) Protest Matters: Film Contest Winners and Semi-Finalists
This year's Youth Free Expression Program Film Contest asked filmmakers under 19 to create films that think broadly about protest, demonstration and change. After receiving hundreds of entries, we are delighted to share our 8 semi-finalist films.
Events
UPCOMING EVENTS Friday, November 87:30pm ESTJack Exhibition Space, Brooklyn, NYRegister Here NCAC Teach in on Art Censorship in the US Join Elizabeth Larison, Director of the Arts & Culture Advocacy Program at the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC), for a teach-in on recent art censorship in the U.S. Larison will explore examples including [...]
Read with Pride: 10 Great LGBTQ YA Books for Summer
Kick off summer with NCAC's recommendations for books that amplify LGBTQ stories and voices, and that are frequently banned in schools!
Former NCAC Executive Director, Joan Bertin, Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
The Hugh M. Hefner Foundation will give its First Amendment Lifetime Achievement Award to Joan Bertin, longtime Executive Director of the National Coalition Against Censorship.
Fun Home Under Fire in New Jersey
Fun Home is under attack again, this time in a New Jersey High School.
Kristin Harsma
Kristin Harsma is an an artist, model, costumer and stagehand/technician. Her work spans different media and genres, including stained glass, sewing, aerial arts, cosplay & photography. Stained glass is her primary medium. Kristin received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Minnesota State University with concentrations in Sculpture and Theatre Technology. She studied sculpture and mosaics in Florence, Italy where she [...]
Job and Internship Opportunities
JobsAssociate for the Youth Free Expression ProgramDescriptionAre you passionate about free speech and eager to channel your creativity into a powerful cause? Join us as the Youth Free Expression (YFEP) Program Associate and be at the forefront of a dynamic campaign fighting censorship nationwide! This role is a thrilling opportunity to amplify your energy and commitment by growing a burgeoning [...]
ALA Reveals Top 10 Silenced Stories of 2017
Often, the most frequently challenged books tell the stories that most need to be heard. The 10 most challenged books of 2017, according to the American Library Association, were no different.
Meet Maggie Budzyna: A Young Filmmaker Determined to Resist Injustice
Maggie Budzyna's debut film, CENSORED, tackles the slippery slope of banning words from public dialogue. We spoke with the 17-year-old filmmaker about censorship, youth activism and the importance of using her artistic freedom to resist injustice. Watch her film and read the interview.
Artspace Censors Nudes in Exhibition About Body Positivity
Artspace, the self-described "non-profit real estate developer for the arts," creates affordable live-work spaces in a world where such spaces are rapidly disappearing. However, on more than one occasion, Artspace has censored works exhibited by residents on their premises. The most recent incident occurred in East Minneapolis.
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.
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.
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.
Artists Silent Auction 2017
NCAC's Arts Advocacy Program, launched in 2000, is the only national project dedicated to working directly with individual artists and curators involved in censorship disputes. Its main goal is to protect artists' rights to participate in the democratic dialogue by defending public access to their work and supporting their ability to freely express unpopular or controversial views. Catalogue of [...]
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.
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.
New Essay by NCAC’s Director of Programs Sheds More Light on the ‘Culture of Outrage’ Debate
Mintcheva's essay examines and argues for the value of free expression in light of recent controversies over art and racially sensitive content, as well as over cultural appropriation, which have left people to question the usefulness of an absolutist defense of free speech.
NCAC and the Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2016
Our colleagues at the American Library Association (ALA) this week released their annual list of the ten most challenged books for the year of 2016. What's NCAC's relationship with the book's on the list.
NCAC Criticizes Politically Motivated Removal of ‘Jacob’s New Dress’ From North Carolina Lesson Plan
The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) and 6 other organizations committed to defending the right to read are urging a North Carolina school district to reinstate a children’s book in a 1st grade anti-bullying lesson plan after it was removed following pressure from local Republican lawmakers concerned about its gender-nonconforming themes.