Defend Your Right to Learn: Join In The Fight Against Classroom Censorship
Defend Every Student's Right to Learn
In classrooms and educational spaces across our country, a coordinated attack on our students’ right to learn is underway. Join our pledge now to fight back against censorship in your schools and communities.
Banning Books and Censoring Classroom Discussions
In 2023, more than 100 classroom censorship bills aimed at restricting students and teachers from discussing race, gender, or sexual orientation were introduced in states across the country. Thirty-two bills became law. The year prior, the country saw the highest number of attempted book bans in 20 years with more than 1,000 demands to censor library books and resources, many of which targeted titles by or about Black and LGBTQ people.
The ACLU has challenged classroom censorship laws and book bans across the country. Today, we’re expanding on that work by pushing back against attempts to restrict diversity, equity and inclusion programs. We won’t stand for the erasure of marginalized communities in our schools.
All young people have a First Amendment right to learn free from censorship or discrimination — and the ACLU is committed to defending this right. But we need your help.
With the many resources in our toolkit, we hope that you’ll take action against classroom censorship efforts in your own school/school districts. There is no time to waste, so let’s get started and do our part to ensure that everyone has the right to learn.
Here's what you'll find in our Right to Learn toolkit:
We Read Banned Books
We partnered with some of our favorite artists to read books that have been banned around the country, because everyone has a First Amendment right to learn and read free from censorship or discrimination.
It's not every day a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee reads you a banned book bedtime story! Join us and Tom Morello in reading "Peaceful Fights for Equal Rights" by Rob Sanders.
Share Your Rights
Another way to fight school censorship is to spread the word that an equitable and inclusive education is your right! If you need help finding your voice, we’ve supplied talking points that you can use online, or to start a dialogue with family and friends.
