Teach Truth Day of Action 2024 Event Highlights

Children’s future depends on what they learn today. However, across the country, legislatures have passed laws to criminalize teaching honestly about U.S. history and to restrict students’ ability to ask questions and think critically. The laws’ chilling effect reaches classrooms nationwide. Textbooks and high-stakes testing have also long distorted curricula.

In this election year, that is why educators are hosting more than 170 #TeachTruth events to challenge the media silence and encourage everyone to defend the freedom to learn. This work is supported by more than 70 co-sponsors.

Here are descriptions and photos from some of the events.


Alaska

Fairbanks

Fairbanks Alaska

Educators hosted an interactive Teach Truth pop-up display table and book swap at the Juneteenth event at Bernice Allridge Park on June 15. Hosted with Learning Inside Out Network (LION), the table was so popular that they gave away all of the bookmarks and buttons. The hosts added,

We had great discussions with community members about critical thinking and book banning.


Arkansas

Helena-West Helena

Students Examine Display

Interactive Teach Truth pop-up display table, discussion about banned books, and action planning to “Teach the Truth” throughout the year and county. Hosted on June 7 by the West Side Community Hub, Inc. and the Phillips County Retired Teachers Association at the Eliza Miller Junior and Senior High School Historic Site, named for educator and philanthropist Eliza Ann Ross Miller. The Teach Truth pop-up with banned books will remain on display in the library/museum.


Arizona

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The Arizona Education Association rallied on June 5 for state education budget funding and to cut back the out of control ESA voucher spending. There were over 100 participants. Janice Dwosh, a member of Arizona Education Association-Retired, distributed Teach Banned Books buttons and the Teach Vote Organize postcards. She received an enthusiastic response, with many educators affirming the need to teach banned books and banned history.


California

Berkeley

Interactive Teach Truth pop-up display table at Chama o Axé, a capoeira event, at Casa de Cultura. Hosted by Capoeira Brasil East Bay and Capoeira Brasil San Francisco Peninsula in collaboration with their organizers Mestre Itaborá and Formanda Malagueta. Table host Lorin King noted,

Advocating for #TeachTruth is important to the capoeira community because the art form would not have existed if not for the resistance taken by enslaved Africans to create and continue this martial art through generations despite the institution of slavery, anti-Black legislation in the wake of abolishment of slavery, and structural and systemic racism. How can resistance be understood if people do not learn the true history of the slavery in the Americas and what was being resisted and the cost of that resistance?


San Diego

San Diego Teach Truth Day of Action 2024

Educators hosted three events:

(1) Juneteenth Ceremony and Flag raising event at San Diego Unified School District Central Offices with hundred educators, students, and family members. Organizers noted:

We set up a couple tables to accommodate a display of commonly banned and challenged books with Black characters and Black writers/illustrators. People were very interested in why these books were being banned or challenged. There was a great deal of discussion about the motivations behind banning a book about historical figures like Ruby Bridges and fictional characters by Toni Morrison. We took pictures of the event and invited attendees to pose with commonly banned books that they would recommend to others. (Photos on the lawn in the album.)

(2) LGBTQIA Pride Library event in late June at the Mission Hills Branch of the San Diego Public Library. Multiple books were put on display with LGBTQIA characters, protagonists, and authors/creators. Organizers noted:

Some of the people who viewed the “banned” stickers on the books were NOT surprised at all and others were very disappointed to see that some wonderful narratives were being targeted for suppression. We asked them why they thought people would attempt to remove access to these books and they had multiple explanations as related to LGBTQIA identities and lives and the implications for the removal of these narratives. Multiple people posed with the “A banned book I recommend” frames. (Indoor photos in the album.)

(3) LGBTQIA Pride Parade, with a marching contingent of San Diego Unified School District school staff (teachers, counselors, speech-language pathologists, custodians, classified staff, librarians, principals, school board members, superintendents, etc.) students from K-12, and families of those students. The organizers wrote:

Our float is a school bus (electric vehicle!!) that gets decked out from tires to roof in rainbows and trans flags and banners and inclusive insignia and posters. Most of the marching attendees who join our contingent march in front of the bus as it rolls through the Pride Parade (although a small segment ride of the bus and wave at folks out the windows). We printed up large vinyl banners (with PVC skeletal structure for people to comfortably hold the banners) that highlight different routinely banned books with LGBTQIA. The signs explicitly stated that educators in SDUSD DO read and engage these books with their students all throughout SDUSD. But we added a little blurb about MAINTAINING access to these books by encouraging parade onlookers to USE THEIR VOICE to underscore the importance of keeping these books accessible. A “cautionary” notification about remaining vigilant regarding the book ban creep. Two of us in the marching contingent were marching near the periphery of the parade route so that we could interact with parade onlookers. MANY MANY MANY (hundreds) of people responded positively (“Yeah, teachers!” “End the bans!” “I LOVE that book!” “Keep those books in our kids classrooms!!” “What’s Teach Truth?” etc.) and we would stop, briefly interact, and ask these folks to pose in the “A banned book I recommend” frames. It was a high-profile event that received a LOT of love from onlookers of the parade.

Santa Clara

The interactive Teach Truth pop-up display table at the Santa Clara Farmers Market was popular on June 8. The organizers added information about examples of systemic racism and data about representation in children’s books.


Colorado

Denver

Denver - Nisha Chatnani

Interactive Teach Truth pop-up display table at “Under the New Suns” Open Mic night at Creative Strategies for Change, organized by Shades of Honey on June 29.


Connecticut

New Haven

Interactive Teach Truth pop-up display table, book swap, and teach-in at the Possible Futures Bookstore, hosted by the Anti-Racist Teaching and Learning Collective on June 8.


District of Columbia

The D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice hosted interactive Teach Truth pop-up display tables on June 8 at the following locations.

Busboys and Poets BrooklandJune 8th DC sites

It was a quiet morning at this location. Two teachers from out of town were pleased to learn about the campaign.

Ward 8 Farmers Market

June 8th DC sites

East City Bookshop

East City Books Teach Truth by A Acosta

East City Bookshop DC Truth Day of Action 2024

Among the people who stopped to talk were a Lakota woman who was very excited to learn about the book Fry Bread and about Teaching for Change’s collaboration with the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). And a man who works for an environmental organization was thrilled to learn about the Zinn Education Project climate crisis timeline.

Capital Pride Festival

 

Hundreds of people stopped by the booth hosted by the DC Area Educators for Social Justice at the Capital Pride Festival on June 9. The table featured the pop-up display for the Teach Truth Day of Action and additional resources from Teaching for Change and Rethinking Schools. People of all ages enjoyed reading the banned books in the display. On seeing Fry Bread and And Tango Makes Three, many commented that they did not realize some of their favorite books were facing bans or challenges.

Loyalty Bookstore

Due to the heat of the afternoon, the Loyalty Bookstore in Petworth staff kindly allowed the table to be set up inside. It was staffed by teachers from Bruce-Monroe at Parkview Elementary School and the staff person that day at Loyalty Books is a high school English teacher in Maryland — so the afternoon was full of discussions about K–12 schools.

Francis Gregory Neighborhood Library
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Esther Productions, Inc., Spoken Word, and the Francis Gregory Neighborhood Library hosted an interactive Teach Truth pop-up display, book swap, discussion, and reading by author Carolivia Herron of her banned book, Nappy Hair on June 8. Door prizes and light refreshments were provided.

Pride Parade

Spur Local in DC by Amanda Liaw

Spur Local marched in the 2024 Capital Pride Parade holding up #TeachTruth signs, with thousands of people out showing support, as part of our larger message of supporting local nonprofits like Teaching for Change and building collective infrastructure for long-term change.

Poetry for the People

Poetry for the People

The Theater Alliance hosted a Poetry for the People: The June Jordan Experience show and a pre-show interactive Teach Truth pop-up display table on June 8 at Dance Place.


Florida

Miami

Right to Read Teach Truth Miami June 8

The New Republic hosted a Right to Read celebration featuring the first ever Toni Morrison Award for Courage at the Pérez Art Museum Miami on June 8. The evening featured authors who are currently banned or who have been banned in the recent past; fellow writers who have taken up the cause; and teachers, librarians, and students who have been directly impacted by book bans. Read more.


West Palm Beach

Compass Teach Trurth Florid by Sebas (Nia) Abbate

Compass LGBTQ+ Community Center host an interactive Teach Truth pop-up display table at the Delray Beach Pride Street Festival and Pride 5K, Health & Wellness Expo on June 8.  Both tables saw hundreds of people that got to learn more about the book bans, anti-history education laws, and local LGBTQ+ resources, including a queer library within Compass.


Georgia

Atlanta

Event coordinator and high school teacher Sally Stanhope wrote,

On June 15, we first gathered at Bethsaida Baptist Church, the oldest structure in Shermantown, a historic black community adjacent to Stone Mountain, the largest Confederate Monument in the world. We began with a gallery walk where participants of a week long program ‘In the Shadow of Stone Mountain: Historicizing Shermantown’ shared their research in a variety of ways. Students presented their video, slides, posters, and interviews. The topics they addressed included: the role the Ku Klux Klan and its members played in Shermantown, interracial alliances at the Stone Mountain quarries in 1888 and 1891 for higher pay, the educational experiences of Shermantown residents before and after integration, Black entrepreneurship in Stone Mountain, the laws that protect Confederate monuments, the unpaid prison labor that built Stone Mountain Park and growing up as a Black man in Stone Mountain.

Concluding this part of the day, there was a youth panel where participants of the ‘In the Shadow of Stone Mountain’ answered questions from the audience.

Then we walked to downtown Stone Mountain and joined the city’s Juneteenth celebration. We sponsored a table that shared information about teaching the truth, banned books, the Celebration of the Dream Art Contest, and the untold stories of Stone Mountain. Mayor Jones, the first Black woman mayor of Stone Mountain invited one of the students to speak at the ceremony.


Illinois

Chicago

Chicago_A Logan Teach Truth 2024

The George Hall Organizing Branch of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) held a discussion on African American education prior to 1861. They also discussed the current attack on teaching truthfully, drawing on the information in the interactive #TeachTruth display.


Schaumburg

Trickster Cultural Center

Peyton Consulting LLC hosted an information table at Summer Youth-led Pow Wow and Northwest Pridefest at the Trickster Cultural Center on June 22 and June 29.


Iowa

Iowa City

Iowa_TeachTruth

Iowans for Youth & Truth held a rally at historic College Green Park on June 8. There was live music, a book exchange, interactive Teach Truth pop-up display table, a postcard station, a chance to pledge to teach the truth and defend LGBTQ+ rights, and opportunities to network and strategize. Read more in an article about the day of action in Bleeding Heartland.


Kansas

Kansas City

The event began in the auditorium of the KCKPL Main Library where participants learned from local Palestinian-American organizers. From there, participants heard about the history and present day efforts to protect the Wyandot burial grounds. Then participants walked to a space outside Sumner High School and heard a speaker from Justice for Wyandotte share the ways that policing in and outside of local schools impacts Black students and students of color. The walk ended at Kinship Cafe, a Black-owned local business, where participants could purchase delicious food and drinks. It was a powerful, #TeachTruth day of action. Participants got real knowledge that, due to political attacks on teachers and students, it can feel illegal to teach in school.  

Read more.

Event co-host Michael Rebne wrote:

Participants learned from Al-Hadaf how British colonialism, the Nakba,the Naksa, and apartheid under Israel all preceded Oct. 7th attacks and the genocide in Palestine. Participants were taught we have to know history, though not every statistical fact, in order to take action to save lives by standing up to politicians whose ethics have been hollowed out by Stand With Israel propaganda.

Participants learned how the sacred Wyandot burial grounds (“Huron” cemetery includes a racist term) are still being desecrated, though their leaders try mightily to protect it.  The Wyandots, after having their land stolen and  victims of genocide by the U.S. were the only non-Black community in the area willing to bury deceased African American Civil War soldiers.

Participants learned how Roger Golubski and the KCK police department preyed on Black community members, including children and how teachers’ language can have a profound impact on how potential predators see the kids. How the binary of good kid/bad kid makes them more vulnerable and only uplifts one narrow type of intelligence, and that to experience cops as safe is a very privileged position.

Then participants learned from Connie Brown Collins that there is a clear throughline from Jim Crow-era white supremacy to present day rightwing attacks on 2SLGBTQIA rights, public schools, voting rights, and school funding and that even our democratic governor Governor Laura Kelly is willing to let Republican devised anti-Black legislation through that makes some ways of valuing diversity illegal in Kansas colleges.

Finally participants were able to share refreshments and food together and exchange banned books by authors that write about everything above and more. People schemed for the future and know as teachers, parents, community members of all ages that a better democracy and future is possible. Co-sponsors include Al-Hadaf KC, Brothers Liberating Our Communities, Latinx Education Collaborative, Kinship Cafe, NEA Shawnee Mission Social Justice Committee, NEA-Kansas City, KS, Thula B., Wyandotte High School PTSA, Voting Rights Network of Wyandotte County. Participants were encouraged to bring used books for a “banned books” swap.


Louisiana

Baton Rouge

Baton Rouge NEA Black Caucus TT Day of Action 2024

The NEA Black Caucus held it’s leadership conference in Baton Rouge, Lousiana. They shared the interactive Teach Truth pop-up display table on June 7 and on the Teach Truth Day of Action (June 8), more than 90 participants visited the Whitney Plantation. The event organizer wrote, “A 90-minute tour shared from the perspective of the enslaved was overwhelming, and emotional. Being that upclose in spaces where folks were poorly treated, dehumanized, overworked, and undervalued was hard to experience. The joy in the event was knowing that WE are our ancestors wildest dreams.”


New Orleans

New Orleans Teach Truth 2024

The Plessy and Ferguson Initiative hosted the 15th annual Plessy Day 2024: Your Vote, Your Voice! at the REACH Center (part of the New Orleans Public Library) in New Orleans’ historic 7th Ward on June 8. They celebrated the 59th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act and honored local civil rights veterans who fought for voting rights, equal access, and full citizenship. Speakers included Mr. Ronnie Moore and Mrs. Dorotha Smith-Simmons, veterans of the New Orleans Chapter of C.O.R.E. (Congress of Racial Equality). There were kids activities led by the Black School to create art with the theme of voting rights. Carl LeBlanc played music and Vaucresson Creole Cafe provided food and beverages. There were tables with resources from Freedom House, V.O.T.E., and the Zinn Education Project interactive Teach Truth display.


Maryland

Annapolis

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A dynamic event was hosted by Key School, featuring a diverse range of activities. It began with opening remarks by County Executive Pittman, followed by the distribution of books collected through the Dream Big Book Drive. Attendees immersed themselves in music, informative displays, and expressed gratitude to authors at a letter writing station. Attendees also engaged in captivating read-aloud sessions, unleashed their creativity with chalk drawing, and made lasting memories. The event was hosted at Lawyers Mall on June 8.


Showing Up for Racial Justice Annapolis and Anne Arundel County (SURJ3A) had a table at the Annapolis Juneteenth Festival on June 22 where they had conversations about the #TeachTruth movement, banned books, Black history, and “Tell Your White Friends about SURJ!”

The organizers described their approach to engaging visitors, “We ran a Spin to Win game in which people were asked to spin the wheel and then answer a question about Juneteenth or Black History. If they answered the question correctly, they were able to pick the prize noted on the spinner: button, book mark, book, or poster. We ended up giving people one of each prize if they wanted one whether they answered correctly or not. The game ended up being a creative way to attract people to our booth and engage people in conversation.”

They added, “The banned book display was a hit. Our goals to connect, learn, and share information about how we offer a space for white people fighting for racial and economic justice with accountability and action were met.”

Baltimore

Teach Truth 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland
Interactive Teach Truth pop-up display table at a celebration of fathers and Juneteenth fundraiser at Penhurst Park on June 15.


Massachusetts

Dorchester

Full Service Community Schools Summit Dorchester TT 2024

More than 200 participants at the Full-Service Community Schools Summit on June 8 checked out the interactive Teach Truth display. Ricardo Rosa of the Massachusetts Teachers Association noted, “Full-service community schools cannot be pursued without seriously considering a strong and culturally sustaining curriculum — one that centers the voices and experiences of those who bear the most social cost.” The event was hosted by the Massachusetts Teachers Association, Massachusetts Educational Justice Alliance, Boston Teachers Union, and the American Federation of Teachers.


Florence

Teach Truth Day of Action 2 - Kijua Sanders-McMurtry

For the second year, the Odyssey Bookshop, Mount Holyoke College, and the Sojourner Truth Memorial Park/David Ruggles Center hosted a Teach Truth event at the Sojourner Truth Memorial Park and provided tickets for attendees to participate in the Founder’s Day Celebration featuring historian Nell Irvin Painter.


South Hadley

 

The Mount Holyoke DEI Office partnered with the Odyssey Bookshop and MHC LITS to host their second annual Teach Truth Day of Action, coordinated by the Zinn Education Project and the National Education Association (NEA). They hosted the rally at the Sojourner Truth Memorial in Florence (see above) and the Odyssey in the Village Commons. The hosted reported, “These events on June 9 and June 17 brought together students, faculty, and staff to support the “Freedom To Learn” movement, to speak out against the banning of books and the anti-DEI, anti-history and anti-LGBT bills. Be sure to support banned authors and buy banned books!”


Michigan

Farmington

There was a historic walking tour from Nardin Park to City Hall with speakers along the way uplifting local Black history and advocating for the introduction of the Free Our History: CEO African American History Bill.


Minnesota

St. Paul

Educators from the Laura Jeffrey Academy Middle School hosted an interactive Teach Truth pop-up display table at the Grand Old Day outdoor family street fair and festival on June 2. They reported, “Despite the heat we did have lots of visitors to the table and lots of agreement on the value of teaching the true history! We are bringing the posters and materials back to the school and will be hanging them up to have visible throughout the entire school year.”


Nevada

Las Vegas

WC Teach Truth Nevada

College of Southern Nevada (CSN) campus libraries hosted an interactive Teach Truth pop-up display table at two locations. It was co-hosted by CSN Members of the Antiracist Book Club, CSN Gender & Sexuality Alliance, CSN Women’s Alliance, and the CSN Education Department on June 4 at the West Charleston Library and June 5 and 6 at the North Las Vegas Library. 


Las Vegas

IMG_2720 - Nichole Beer LasVegas_TofuTees

Interactive Teach Truth pop-up display table at Tofu Tees, hosted by a school librarian and chapter co-chair of Defense of Democracy on June 8. The event was hosted by four Vegas Valley public school librarians. The event hosts reported,

We met at Tofu Tees, a locally owned business started by a young woman of color who is 15. We had over 50 people come to downtown Las Vegas’s local hipster spot, Fergusons. This day was about awareness, compassion, love, education, and community. We were honored and humbled to be a part of the Zinn Education Project’s 4th Annual Teach Truth Day of Action.


New Jersey

Montclair

Montclair TeachTruth - Josie Williams

AAPI New Jersey had a table at Out Montclair’s Pride Festival, the largest in New Jersey. The hosts reported that, “We had over 200 people visit our table and many were surprised that these books were being challenged or banned. A teacher who was familiar with a couple of the titles, including Fry Bread, was excited to see them out.”


Ocean City

Ocean City New Jersey Teach Truth Day of Action 2024

Two educators hosted a banned book table at the Ocean City Pride Fest on June 1. The table was visited by educators, pastors, health care professionals, parents, children, people of all colors and ethnicities, the LGBTQ+ community, and more. Table hosts Michelle Greenling and Shannon O’Neal said,

There was a great deal of support for our cause, and many individuals were eager to learn more about the Zinn Education Project. We had a table full of banned books and informational material, and “photo booth” promoting access to truth and literature. People also filled out papers explaining their views on teaching history and truth and its necessity for a more just future.


Orange

IMG_4414 - Andrew Worthington

Orange High School teachers Andrew Worthington and Dan Strauss, along with several students, set up a Banned Book display in the school’s library for the month of June.


Paterson


Teach-in Centering Palestine at the Art Factory Studio. The event began with lunch, followed by a documentary and educational/informational workshops. Hosted by MapSO Freedom School, Teaching While Muslim, Decolonizing the Classroom, and other organizations on June 8.


Teaneck

community of teaneck2 - TS Murphy

Interactive Teach Truth pop-up display table at the Teaneck Public Library on June 8. Shae Lewis and TS Murphy hosted the table with the Zinn Education Project materials and others loaned from the THS Media Center. They noted,

We had to fight the wind, which literally blew away everything we had set-up several times. We spoke with many people coming to the library who knew very little about the widespread book banning. We gave them the Teach Banned Books buttons and postcards as a reminder of this crisis.


Tenafly

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Exhibit for teens at Tenafly High School.


New Mexico

Albuquerque

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Information table, photo frames, and banned book giveaway at Lomas Tramway Library, hosted by the Rio Rancho Teaching for Black Lives Study Group on June 8. The event host resported,

Roughly 30 people stopped by, and approximately 60 books were distributed. Everyone was so encouraging and supportive of the work. Everyone who stopped said they were registered voters and many were teachers or former teachers. One teacher just quit his job at a local charter school because the board and PTO removed a bunch of books from his room. He chose to quit so even in New Mexico some of this is happening. I shared the data from the American Library Association on the uptick on titles being challenged and people were shocked by the numbers but not the trend. They pointed out where they believed it was all coming from ultra-conservative Christian nationalist groups and many said they see this as one step in a bigger plan. Many expressed concern about the direction of the country.


New York

Brooklyn

The event organizers reported:

On Saturday, June 1, 2024, in the school yard of P.S. 261K, the Zipporiah Mills School, our Teaching for Black Lives Study Group members were ready to greet and respond to folx who came to our #TeachTruth Day of Action information table. Our table was part of the annual Rainbow Run school event, sponsored by our student “True Colors” club and our Parent-Teacher Association. Hundreds of students, families, friends, and visitors came to celebrate diversity on the first day of Pride Month. We called to everyone walking by, ‘Come over to our table. Let us tell you about banned books and banned history.’ Visitors had lots of comments, including:

I did not know this book was banned.

Why is the Fry Bread banned?

Are the titles in the Banned Book Basket for sale?

I love When Aidan Became a Brother.

The throwback music from the 1970s and 1980s filled the air as we danced the Macarena, watched the children run or walk laps around the school track, cartwheel around, eat, and feel the vibes of diversity. Protecting the teaching of our country’s true history, with photo frames and speech bubble cut-outs that the fifth grade students created, gave purpose and made our day. Hundreds of folx of all ages attended the event and browsed, stopped by and even purchased some of the banned books that Lee & Low provided for our information table. It was a memorable, uplifting day for all and for teaching the truth in education.


Jamaica

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The St. Albans Congregational Church, UCC: Education Committee hosted an interactive Teach Truth Day of Action pop-up display table at the Addisleigh Park Day on June 8. The photo shows Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. with table host Sheryl Leverett.


Rochester

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The Norman Howard School’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Committee hosted an interactive Teach Truth pop-up display table and book swap at the Rochester Public Market on June 8. So many people came to the table that they ran out of buttons. The event hosts noted,

Many people who stopped by were teachers and/or librarians. The vast majority of people appreciated our work and were in support of what we were doing. Many people were shocked to hear that there have been two book bans in our state recently.

We had a box of free banned books that drew many people in to visit and learn about what we were doing.They looked at the box first and then stopped to see the exhibit and hear what we had to say.


Syracuse

IMG_8400 - Melanie Deemer IMG_8399 - Melanie Deemer

Interactive Teach Truth pop-up display table at Parthenon Books. Hosted by Camillus Teaching for Black Lives study group and UMOJA students on June 8. The event hosts reported,

There was a steady flow of people during our two hour event. Two women visited that had searched the list of event locations on the map to find the closest pop-up display. They traveled to us from Binghamton, New York which is about 75 miles away.


North Carolina

Asheville

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Save Our Schools Rally at Pack Square Park, in the heart of downtown Asheville, hosted by Buncombe County Association of Educators. On June 6, over 100 public school staff, parents, students, and community members came together to rally for the freedom to learn. The event hosts wrote,

Our schools are in crisis, with a looming budget deficit that would result in over 150 position cuts from Buncombe County Schools. At the rally, we heard from students, parents, and educators about the importance for students to have access to mental health staff and continued programming that they deserve, regardless of their zip code. Attendees also wrote dozens of postcards to be delivered to our county commission with the plea for fully funding our school board’s request so that our schools will not lose programming and desperately needed staff. 


Ohio

Cincinnati

Cincinnati TT 2024 - Eunique Avery Cincinnati TT - Eunique Avery

A Teach Truth resource table was available for youth and parents in the West End community. Youth were able to visit the table to learn more about book bans and censorship as well receive a free book.

Cleveland

The Cleveland NAACP Education Committee, Cleveland Teachers Union, and Honesty for Ohio Education hosted an event on June 8 at the Cleveland Public Library. They began with a “Read Flash Mob” in the reading garden located next to the library. Then, participants entered the library to tables of free banned books (and banned library books available for checking out), alongside the interactive Teach Truth pop-up display table. The Cleveland Teachers Union provided hundreds of banned books, courtsey of the American Federation of Teachers. The participants were thrilled when they saw the huge selection, and especially when they were told, “take as many as you want.” The program opened with the group singing a song written by event organizer Meryl Johnson to the tune of Are you Sleeping?

Teach the truth, teach the truth

We won’t lie, we won’t lie

We won’t whitewash history

Slavery’s not a mystery

No books burned, freedom to learn

This was followed by a poetry presentation by Cleveland’s poet laureate, a “Why This Matters” talk from the District 11 teacher of the year, a speech from a college student, and a presentation from Freedom Rider Joan Mulholland. Read “‘We have to teach the truth:’ Cleveland NAACP hosts rally to protect honesty, inclusivity in education.


East Cleveland

The East Cleveland Public Library hosted a discussion based on the interactive Teach Truth pop-up display. Library board member Dr. Mary Ann Harris wrote,

About 20 people sat in the library lobby engaging in the discussion. Some patrons checked out books from the book displayed. One patron stated that the event was emotional, yet insightful. Promoting books for all throughout the year is all about learning something new or increasing your knowledge.


Rocky River

Rocky River Teach Truth 2024 Rocky River

Interactive Teach Truth pop-up display table and book swap hosted by Rocky River Black Lives Matter, West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church, and youth during the Rocky River Black Lives Matter’s weekly protest in front of the River Square shopping center, near Whole Foods on June 8. Their invitation invited attendees to:

Bring your beloved books by Black, Indigenous, people of color, LGBTQ+, and Palestinian American writers to swap. Banned books and books for youth or young adults are highly encouraged! Our table will have information about the importance of teaching the truth about structural racism, sexism, and increasing representation in books and school curricula.

The event host noted,

Sixteen people participated. One was a teacher who saw our signs and pulled over for more information. Another person was incredulous that book bans are 1) even considered legal in this country, and 2) actually happening. She kept saying, “they should fight back. It’s a violation of the first amendment.” I shared the Zinn Education Project materials for learning more and getting involved. We had five children at the table who were holding signs and sharing information.


Toledo

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Book swap and interactive Teach Truth pop-up display table at Black Kite Coffee. June 8. During the plant and book swap, there were approximately twelve people who attended and visited the table. We shared a brief discussion on critical thinking and banned books across the nation.


Youngstown

Youngstown Ohio

On this 60th anniversary of Freedom Summer, Mahoning Valley Sojourn hosted a #TeachTruth Freedom School from June 17-21 with art, author visits, writing, dance, and a picnic. Presenters incude Alice Lynd, Cherie Eldridge, Dynamo Flapdoodle, AU Dance Company, Karen Schubert, Keith Lamar, and Vince Shivers. Read about the first day in an article in The Vindicator.


Oklahoma

Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City Teach Truth Day of Action 2024

Interactive Teach Truth pop-up display table and rally at the Oklahoma State Board of Education meeting, hosted by Defense of Democracy on June 27. The table organizer noted, “We had so many people exclaim that they had no idea books and history was being banned from schools and libraries. Especially when they seen the large collection of banned/challenged books we brought with us.”


Oregon

Milwaukie

Spoke and Word

Interactive Teach Truth pop-up display table at Spoke and Word Bookstore on June 8.

Portland

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Screening and discussion of CURRENT: A Descendant’s Journey for Truth documentary hosted by the author on June 9. Each person committed to telling and teaching the truth in their own ways in their individual settings. 


Pennsylvania

Lancaster

Lancaster Pennsylvania Teach Truth Day of Action 2024

Pockets Book Shop in collaboration with Lancaster Friends School. Interactive Teach Truth pop-up display table and storytime on June 8. With help from host Pocket Books, Lancaster Friends School staffed a table with a variety of banned books and ZEP materials. There were three Lancaster Friends School teachers, and community members and patrons came and browsed and discussed throughout the day. They featured a press conference with four speakers: a teacher from Lancaster Friends School, Peggy Bright; two award winning librarians who spoke about censorship, Matthew Good and Cathi Fuhrman; and a candidate for state senate who opposes book bans, Trex Proffitt.


Puerto Rico

San Juan

Puerto Rican Matter(s) Group placed an information table at Callejón Del Carmen, in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico on June 8. The pop-up coincided with the artisan’s market and the space was full of people displaying their art and of customers. The hosts reported,

We directly impacted over sixty individuals who stopped at the table and received information about Teach the Truth Day of Action and about the Zinn Education Project initiative. We also collected signatures for the PS1282 Ley contra el discrimen por razones de cabello, and had a display of Puerto Rican and USA banned books.

Many visitors were surprised as they did not know about all the repression that is going on in and out the island. We connected with an ally, “Otro Puerto Rico es Posible” that is working against gentrification in Puerto Rico and wants to join our group. We also gave away the mini book “Carla Feliz” which is about a trans girl. This short story was censored and we were able to print it and distribute it to everyone that visited the information table. We distributed copies of the Spanish version of the Black Lives Matter 13 Principles mini coloring book. In addition, we had the Butai with the Kamishibai story “La Chivita” about inclusion and diversity. As a group, we felt very satisfied with the outcomes of the day and we are more confident, than ever, that social change is possible and that, Si Se Puede!


Rhode Island

Providence

Interactive Teach Truth pop-up display table, speakers, arts and crafts, banned books display, and legislative info/testimony drafting station. Hosted by a coalition of groups including SURJ-RI, Towards an Anti-Racist North Kingstown, NEA RI Racial and Social Justice Committee, and Teach Truth RI at the historic Rochambeau Library on June 8. Event co-host Lindsay Paiva reported,

We probably had about 30-40 people stop by our event. We held it in collaboration with the public library and had tables with information about various organizations doing aligned work in our community. We had button making, a community scrapbook, abanned book puzzle, and a banned book informational display. Speakers included State Representative David Morales, Angela Boisclair (NEARI), Maya and Jesslynn youth organizers (OurSchoolsPVD), Dr. Erin Papa (Multilingual Coalition of RI), Jennifer Lima (school board member), Jocelyn Foye (The Womxn Project), and local poet Clarise Annette Brooks (who happened to just be stopping by the library and we invited her to do an impromptu poetry reading from her amazing book!)

Tennessee

Nashville

Nashville Teach Truth Day of Action 2024

There was an interactive Teach Truth pop-up display table hosted by Educators Unite, in collaboration with the Educators’ Cooperative and Statewide Organizing for Community Empowerment at the Tennessee Arts Academy on July 18. Organizer Bobbilyn Negron wrote, “We had an amazing turnout and there was a lot of interest in all of our organizations and our work.”


Texas

Cypress

Cypress

Interactive Teach Truth pop-up display table at Lone Star College Cy-Fair Library hosted by Cy-Fair TSTA on June 8. The organizers noted,

The greater portion of visitors were educators, who were very supportive of our cause. There was a consensus that everyone should have the freedom of choice and that it should not be restricted, limited, or denied.


Odessa

Interactive Teach Truth pop-up display table at Basin Pride Festival, hosted by Ector County TSTA on Saturday, June 8. Overall, there were about 500 people throughout the day-long event. The event host noted,

We were very busy all day teaching our truth. Ector County TSTA made allies with the local PFLAG chapter to help further educate the community about our literature.


Utah

Ogden

Ogden Utah NAACP Julia Salcedo
An interactive #TeachTruth pop-up display was featured at the Ogden NAACP booth during the Ogden Juneteenth festival on June 15 and 16. Several visitors wanted to know more about what to do in response to the book banning, there was a child who loved Fry Bread, and people expressed appreciation that the table was bringing awareness about the book bans and chilling effect.


Salt Lake City

IMG_1154 - Sandra Boyer

Teachers attending the College Board AP Essay scoring on June 8 in Utah hosted a Teach Truth gathering outside the convention center. The event organizer noted,

Hundreds of teachers from all over the country came to read for AP College Board exams- everyone loved talking about their state and what was or was not happening! They loved the buttons and put them on as soon as I gave them out! As soon as teachers saw my table they screamed ‘YESSSSSS!!’ Teachers are rebellious rock stars!!!



A Zinn Education Project staff person in Utah hosted a Teach Truth pop-up display table at the Summer Solstice Emergent Strategy Fest organized by the Mobile Moon Co-op on Saturday, June 22 in the Wasatch Community Garden in Salt Lake City. Many people who visited the table were surprised to learn about the stories that are being censored in the classroom. Several individuals took extra postcards and bookmarks to add to their little libraries or share with friends.


Vermont

Waterbury

IMG_7077 - Christie Nold

Interactive Teach Truth pop-up display table at Bridgeside Books, was hosted by Bridgeside Books with the Waterbury Area Anti-Racist Coalition, on June 8. The event organizer noted,

The rain brought many people into the bookstore! It was a wonderful opportunity to speak with community members about the dangers of “quiet-censorship” (what can happen when educators are not given support and/or do not yet have the courage to teach the truth). We also connected with others around the upcoming draft equity policy for our local school district that the Waterbury Area Anti-Racism Coalition is supporting.


Winooski

The event organizer noted,

We had a table in our school lobby during high school lunch. Around 120 staff students passed by on their way to and from the cafeteria. We focused on showing banned LGBTQ books in recognition of Pride month. A few highlights: One teacher was not aware and was surprised that the book The Bluest Eye was even banned. A trans student was engrossed in my copy of Gender Queer, and borrowed it after. They came to me later and said the book was eye opening for them and was happy to feel a connection to the author’s experiences. Students could not understand why the Wilma Rudolph story was a banned story, in fact one student was really mad at the idea of people trying to hide the story.


Virginia

Blacksburg

Blacksburg Virginia teach Truth Day of Action 2024

The Montgomery County Democratic Committee hosted a teach truth pop-up display table at the annual Spring Fling on June 8th. Many Blacksburg Middle School teachers were present to support the effort. They added extra books and a high school student engaged people in conversations about Teach Truth and book banning. The event organizer noted,

Around 65 people attended the event, most of them were shocked at how many of the books on the banned list were ones they had read themselves.


Charlottesville

IMG_6250 - Allison Ward-Seidel

Interactive Teach Truth pop-up display table at the Charlottesville Farmers Market on June 8. The Teach Truth Day of Action table was well received at the Charlottesville IX Art Park Farmers Market. The event organizer noted,

Dozens of families at the market interacted with the table, and children loved the books and stickers. Many educators stopped by in support, including one person who said, “no books should be banned.” We agree! And all the informational materials were handed out to patrons of the market. Some teenagers stopped by to talk about their favorite banned books, and they summed it up best — “We love banned books!”


Fredericksburg

20240608_070228 - John “Shamador” Ferrara

Members of the Fredericksburg Education Association hosted an interactive Teach Truth pop-up display table at Fredericksburg Farmers Market on June 8. Event host John Ferrara reported that people were interested in learning about why certain books were banned. One visitor expressed surprise to see the picture book Fry Bread among the banned or challenged titles since they had read it in school.


Goochland

Goochland Teach Truth 2024

Table at the Goochland Democratic Committee Early Voting Site on June 8.

Richmond

For a fourth year, Virignia Education Association (VEA) participated in the Zinn Education Project’s and NEA’s Teach Truth Day of Action on June 8. As book bans and controversies grow, VEA partnered with Black Lives Matter at School to set up a “Teach Truth VA” table at bbgb bookstore, in Richmond. There were giveaways and a display of banned books, lesson plan resources, LGBTQIA+ buttons and stickers, Black Lives Matter at School and Teach Truth materials, as well as other resources.


Washington

Bainbridge Island

The Bainbridge Island School District Multicultural Advisory Council, in collaboration with Kitsap Erace Coalition, Kitsap Regional Library, BI Erace, and Living Life Arts Heritage, hosted the interactive Teach Truth display and a museum tour at the Bainbridge History Museum on June 8.


Seattle

Seattle Teach Truth Day of Action 2024

City University School of Education educators hosted an interactive Teach Truth pop-up display at all five campuses in Washington.


The Seattle Caucus of Rank and File Educators hosted a Ban Bombs Not Books event at Columbia Park on June 8. Event co-host Jesse Hagopian said, “Our gathering included the teachers union caucus that just won the election. They spoke about the devastating impact of school closures. A Filipino youth activist group talked about how they won an Ethnic Studies program around Filipino history, and then it was cut. They connected that to U.S. imperialism in the Philippines throughout many years, and the fact that the military budget increases while the Seattle School District plans to close 20 schools. The radical caucus of librarians spoke to the closing of libraries in Seattle. And everyone’s comments included Palestine.” In addition to the speakers there was a read-in, bookmark making, and the interactive display.

Tacoma

Tacoma, Washington Teach Truth Day of Action 2024

University of Puget Sound education faculty and students from the Masters in Teaching program hosted a Teach Truth Banned Book Read-a-Thon on June 8 at Wheelock Plaza. The table was visited by alumni who were visiting campus for the reunion weekend and children from the local community.

 


Wisconsin

Milwaukee

Milwaukee Teach Truth Table - Christina Brey Milwaukee Andy and Tiffany Brault - teach truth - Christina Brey

The interactive Teach Truth pop-up display was shared at the Wisconsin Democratic State Convention to educate potential candidates and event-goers about book bans in the state and educators’ efforts to teach truth. Hosted by the Wisconsin Education Association Council and WEAC – Retired Educators.


Photo Jun 08 2024, 10 21 39 AM (1) Photo Jun 08 2024, 2 23 49 PM

The America’s Black Holocaust Museum Education Department hosted a interactive Teach Truth pop-up display table and special drop-in tour on June 8. The tour focused on the importance of historical truth-telling and how the museum continually contributes to the vision of a more just and equitable society. Event announcement.


International

Germany, Ramstein Air Force Base

freedom to learn - Natalie Ricketts (KMC Pride President)

The information table was well received at the Kaiserslautern Military Community Center on Ramstein AFB, Germany. The event organizer noted, “About 20 people stopped by the table and said they were shocked at what kind of content or even how little of the content in the book it takes for it to get challenged.”


Co-sponsors

Abolitionist Teaching Network, Advancement Project, Advocates for Youth, African American Policy Forum, AFT Share My Lesson, American Library Association, American Social History Project, American Youth Policy Forum, Amplifier, Anti-Racist Teaching and Learning Collective, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, BARWE, Black Lives Matter at School, BlackPast, Black Teacher Project, Center for Black Educator Development, Center for K-12 Black History and Racial Literacy Education, Civil Rights Movement Archive, COLAGE, Color of Change, Communities for Just Schools Fund, Defense of Democracy, Economics for Emancipation, Empowering Pacific Islander Communities, The Equity Lab, Faith & Prejudice, Foundation 451, GLSEN, HEAL Together / Race Forward, Historians for Peace and Democracy, Human Rights Campaign, Information Wanted, Institute for Common Power, Kinfolk, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, Learning for Justice, Monument Lab, NAACP NYS Conference, National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, National Education Association, National Equity Project, National Women’s Law Center, The New Press, The New Republic, Our Turn, Project 2043, Pulitzer Center’s 1619 Education Program, Red Wine & Blue, Roots to Revolution, Seven Stories Press, Shout Mouse Press, SNCC Legacy Project, Stonewall National Museum and Archives, SURJ, Teach Rock, United States Hispanic Leadership Institute, Visiting Room Project, Voice of Witness, Wee Nation Radio, Who We Are Project, Women’s Equity Center and Action Network, and more groups.

Interested in adding your organization as a co-sponsor for 2025? Sign up here.


Our thanks to Lush Cosmetics, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, Capstone Publishing, and the National Education Association for the books, buttons, and cards in the pop-up installation box.

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