News - Zinn Education Project

Teach Truth on Constitution Day: What Did Students Learn?

In hundreds of classrooms on Constitution Day, students examined who was invited to write the Constitution (and who was excluded) and what rights are included — and which are left out. Here are their stories.

Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism

Scholar Eve L. Ewing spoke about her book, Original Sins: The (Mis)Education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism, an examination of how the U.S. school system helps maintain racial inequality and social hierarchies. This class was part of the Zinn Education Project’s Teach the Black Freedom Struggle online people’s history series.

Hundreds of Teachers Sign Up to Teach Truth on Constitution Day

Stories from educators about Teach Truth on Constitution Day.

Climate Crisis Timeline

We offer a new timeline of the climate crisis that traces its roots from European colonial expansion and racial capitalism to present-day fossil fuel industry and government projects that exploit and destroy the Earth in the name of maximum profit. It also emphasizes moments and movements of resistance and activism that inform climate justice work today.

Mary Beth Tinker on Constitution Day

Free speech activist Mary Beth Tinker on the importance of teaching truthfully about the U.S. Constitution.

Valencia Abbott: History Teacher of the Year

Our congratulations to Valencia Abbott of Wentworth, North Carolina for her being selected as the 2025 National History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

Free Book for Constitution Day Teaching Story

Share a story about your activities on Constitution Day.

Lessons for How the Word Is Passed by Clint Smith

The Zinn Education Project has produced a series of lessons and a collection of discussion questions for How the Word Is Passed by Clint Smith to help teachers introduce the central role of slavery in U.S. history classes across the country.

How the Word Is Passed: Remembering Slavery and How It Shaped America

Author and educator Clint Smith discussed the new young readers edition of How the Word Is Passed: Remembering Slavery and How It Shaped America, which was adapted by Sonja Cherry-Paul. This class was part of the Zinn Education Project’s Teach the Black Freedom Struggle online people’s history series.

Why Teach Truth on Constitution Day

A statement from the Zinn Education Project on teaching truthfully about the Constitution.

Ten Ways to Rethink the Constitution

To assist with efforts to teach truthfully — and invite inquiry — about the Constitution, we offer 10 ways to rethink this founding document. The list can be used for discussion, and to critique whitewashed narratives peppered across curricula and public life.

Why I Registered

Hundreds of educators register for free each month at the Zinn Education Project to access lessons and other resources. Here’s why.

Concentration Camps in U.S. History

Examples of the U.S. government holding people in concentration camps.

Defy the Ban on Teaching the Climate Crisis

As the climate crisis accelerates, our Teach Climate Justice resources — free lessons, articles, a climate crisis timeline, and more — are becoming more and more valuable in the classroom.

Breaking the Book Ban: Teachers Receive 15,000 Copies of The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks

15,000 copies of The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, the young readers’ edition of a book by acclaimed historian Jeanne Theoharis, adapted by award-winning YA author Brandy Colbert, have been shipped to teachers requesting copies to pair with their history or language arts curriculum.

450 Copies of Eve Ewing’s Original Sins Distributed to Educators

Thanks to generous donors, the Zinn Education Project gave 450 copies of Eve Ewing’s Original Sins to educators around the country.

Conference on Racial and Social Justice

We engaged with educators from around the country at the National Education Association Conference on Racial and Social Justice in Portland, Oregon.

Uncovering Family History

A story and corrido (ballad) about the 1930s deportation of Mexican Americans.

Student Overjoyed to Receive a Book

Thank you to the staff of the Zinn Education Project for trusting and supporting educators and students, and for providing resources to teach truth.

Teach About Immigration

With the airwaves full of inflammatory rhetoric about immigrants and I.C.E. raids in countless communities, we provide lessons, teaching guides, and other recommended resources for teaching honestly and critically about immigration.

Teach Truth Day of Action 2025 Event Highlights

Highlights from 2025 Teach Truth events around the United States.

300 Copies of Erasing History Donated to Teachers to #TeachTruth

Thanks to a generous donation from One Signal Publishers, 300 copies of Jason Stanley's Erasing History were donated to educators around the country in preparation for the 5th annual Teach Truth Day of Action.

The Right to Learn Is Fundamental

The D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice hosted a Teach Truth day of action event at the Mall — marching (with a brass band) from the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) to the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI).

Banned Books Display in Lush Stores

On the #TeachTruth Day of Action, every Lush store in the United States installed a display about banned books, featuring the picture book Fry Bread and a link to learn more at the Zinn Education Project.

Teach the History of Policing

Resources for middle and high school classrooms on the history of policing in the United States.

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