Teach Truth 2026

The demand for the right to Teach Truth belongs in No Kings, May Day, immigrant rights, Pride, All of Us 250 on June 27, Juneteenth, July 4 and other rallies and celebrations. The need to protect the freedom to learn is part of every fight for justice.

Across the country teachers and allies are rallying to raise awareness about the threats to public education, LGBTQ+ students, immigrants, the climate, democracy, and more. Join us!

Bring the #TeachTruth message to public events all year.

Resources to Host Your Own Event

Add Your City to the Map!

Public Teach Truth events and other local education organizing efforts can be found on the national map below, hosted by our cosponsor Public School Strong/HEAL Together.

Here is a list of public Teach Truth events.

Event Highlights

Here are descriptions and photos from some of the events to date. More are being held throughout the year.

Laguna Beach, California

On May 20, 2026, Laguna Beach educators, students, parents, and community members hosted a Teach Truth Day of Action featuring an interactive Banned Books pop-up display during an open community service fair including a book drive, and a screening of Banned Together followed by a multi-generational response panel.

Heather Hanson (on the far left), high school social studies teacher and event organizer, said,

Everyone loved the documentary, and the conversation was really thoughtful. My friend David Milton, a local artist who donated the rights to his original work of art, Still Life With Banned Books, to the American Library Association, was one of the adult speakers. The other adult speaker was Chris Kluwe, the activist and candidate for California Assembly 72. I also had four students, two activists who are juniors, and our two student board representatives, who are sophomores. So the thread for the speakers was that everyone was involved in similar issues to the students in the documentary, either as activists or as public servants, and I served as the moderator.

Washington, D.C.

The Texas youth group, SEAT on the Hill, hosted a Teach Truth reception in Washington, D.C. Their Mary Beth Tinker Fellows were in town for a week to make their voices heard in Congress. The reception included remarks by Representative Christian Menefee, lifelong activist Mary Beth Tinker, SEAT on the Hill executive director Cameron Samuels, and more.

Attendees included representatives from CODEPINK: Women For Peace, the American Library Association, and the National Coalition Against Censorship.

Kansas City, Kansas

The Ed Equity Collective (formerly SURJ KC) in Kansas City, Kansas hosted their annual Teach Truth event on May 23 at the Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center. Michael Rebne (on the far right), physics teacher and former Teaching for Black Lives study group coordinator, reported:

Our day of action featured powerful speakers, including a strong advocate and teacher of immigrant children, a leader of a LGBTQ+ advocacy and policy organization, and a leader of an organization that serves unhoused LGBTQ+ teens and those experiencing other crises. We also hosted a local bookstore to sell Heather McGhee’s, The Sum of Us, which we will use for our upcoming biannual book club.

Approximately 20 people engaged in a banned book swap, Q&A with our speakers, and rally chants to keep our spirits high.

One of our participants called the event “an urgent call to action for school advocates to protect our most vulnerable students.”

It was an emotional and ultimately fortifying morning in community.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Littleton, Massachusetts

An Indivisible Littleton Massachusetts member, Sarah Buchholz, hosted a Teach Truth information table during a cold, windy morning rally with approximately 500 people in attendance.

Sarah reported,

I spoke to librarians and educators, current and retired, from all over New England. Their faces literally lit up seeing the messaging of our Teach Truth Campaign. We had a “So You Think You Know History” game, which was fun and eye-opening for all involved. The trivia questions helped start important conversations about historically silenced voices and erased histories. For example, did you know about the Mexican Underground Railroad or that Mexico fought and defeated Confederate soldiers during the Civil War?!

Participants asked their own questions related to erased and/or lesser known history. We all ended up learning from each other! Overall, it was an inspiring and invigorating event, and I’m already looking forward to the next one.

Las Vegas, Nevada

Read Freely Nevada joined Tofu Tees’ local Juneteenth festival and hosted a #TeachTruth pop-up display to provide information about book bans and censorship. They gave out over 100 free books to children, most of which were from the African American diaspora.

Brooklyn, New York

On May 30 and 31, the Brooklyn Teaching for Black Lives study group members hosted a #TeachTruth pop-up display at The Circle Keepers 2026 Peace and Justice Youth Conference and at the annual P.S. 261’s Rainbow Run Pride Celebration to raise awareness of ongoing book bans and the nationwide anti-education attacks on honest history. Kady Safar, math teacher and group member, said,

We passed out buttons and bookmarks, raised money for the Zinn Education Project, and made a photo wall for participants holding up #TeachTruth signs.

Ina Pannell-SaintSurin, retired educators and group co-coordinator, reported

Some notable networking moments were when one organizer asked us to join their Juneteenth event in Harlem. Another was when a mother asked us to table at their “Freedom to Read” event in Queens in October. And our youngest visitor, Rosie, came to the event with Luda, her mother and a member of our alumni study group. Rosie helped at our #teachtruth table and at the end of the day, Rosie shared that she now wants to be a teacher who values teaching the truth. What a day of inspiration, networking, and hope.

Harlem, New York

Rootz&Wingz collaborated with Sister’s Uptown Bookstore and Cultural Center, the oldest Black-owned bookstore in Manhattan, to host a Teach Truth day of action. Families, educators, and community members came together in Harlem to choose from an abundant selection of free books, exchange ideas with educators, and relax in the cultural community hub.

Chagrin Falls, Ohio

Right to Read Ohio hosted a #TeachTruth pop-up display at the SOGI Pride celebration on Saturday, June 27, an event that is largely attended by queer kids and parents. Sharon Hawkes, MLIS and display host, reported:

We gave away a number of banned books and used the display to explain what is happening in Ohio. Based on a survey of 32 school librarians and discussions with other libraries, we know that:

- There are more censorship incidents in Ohio than are being reported by the ALA.

- Half of those polled have changed their procedures because of the climate of censorship. Some are more cautious about what they collect. It didn’t matter how many years of experience they had, what their degree level was, or if they had even had a personal experience with censorship. The chilling effect of censorship is real.

- Strategies that work include putting the book review procedure into the union contract, having a written collection development policy, and having a procedure in place if a parent wants to opt a student out of certain topics. We recommend that librarians speak with the board regularly, get out of the building and interact with the public, and find their allies before a censorship incident happens.

I particularly like that the #TeachTruth pop-up display included books for different ages, books that are award-winners, and books that represent different communities. Some people read the accompanying cards, and others just listened to me talk about them. Many visitors took the buttons and some the bookmarks.

Because we are Ohio, many were familiar with The Bluest Eye in the exhibit, by Nobel Prize-winning Ohioan Toni Morrison. Telling visitors that The Bluest Eye was published in 1970 reminds people that “uncomfortable” books have been in teen libraries for decades. Unlike the current rumors, certain books aren’t a recent occurrence, nor are they about “sex in kindergarten books.” The display shows that.

Cleveland Heights, Ohio

On June 13, the NAACP Cleveland Branch Education Committee, under the leadership of educator Meryl Johnson (in the picture below), welcomed community members, educators, students and parents to its third Teach Truth Day of Action event. It was held at the Forest Hills Church in Cleveland Heights.

Meryl Johnson shared this report:

The event brought together participants committed to advancing honest education and ensuring that history and diverse perspectives remain accessible in classrooms and communities. Attendees participated in engaging workshops, received free books, enjoyed fellowship over lunch, and connected with others dedicated to truthful teaching and civic engagement.

Kayla Blake, a former CMSD student and now a college graduate said, “Although we face the challenges of right-wing extremism, events like the Teach Truth Days of Action have made strides to center the voices of those who have been especially marginalized over the past ten years.” A highlight of the program was the keynote address by Daneé Pinckney, the 2025 Ohio Teacher of the Year, who inspired attendees through her remarks on education, leadership, and the importance of empowering young people through truthful knowledge.

Attendee Errol Savage, president of the Cleveland Teachers Union, commented on Pinckney’s address: “I learned that teaching the truth can be uncomfortable, but it allows everyone to understand why things are the way they are.” The event also featured a student-led workshop showcasing a documentary created by educator Dr. Robin Simmons. She accompanied 15 Cleveland School of the Arts students on an educational travel experience to Ghana. This workshop provided attendees with a unique perspective on global learning and cultural
exchange.

Essence Doucet, a community activist, said she attended the workshop entitled “How to Be An Advocate” to learn ways to get more involved with grassroots organizations like Honesty for Ohio Education and Red Wine & Blue. She also said she was shocked to learn how property taxes impact school funding and how much taxpayer money goes to school vouchers for private schools as opposed to public schools.

Pamela Hubbard of Golden Ciphers presented on restorative justice, an approach for handling conflict that prioritizes repairing the harm done as opposed to punishing the offender. Workshop attendee Antoinette McCall said: “If schools and families understood and consistently used this approach, I imagine that the school building culture and family relationships would improve.” Greg Deegan of Teaching Cleveland, our presenter for the fourth workshop, discussed the “groundwater metaphor” which was originally developed by the Racial Equity Institute. It’s a tool used to explain systemic issues. It changes the focus from individual symptoms to the root environment that sustains them.

The event was held in loving memory of Michael Charney, a longtime teacher, labor leader and community activist who passionately believed in student empowerment and whose life was a commitment to teaching truth. He also conceived the idea of nationwide Teach Truth Days of Action. The NAACP Cleveland Branch Education Committee extends its gratitude to all attendees, presenters, volunteers, vendors and community partners whose support contributed to our success.

Salem, Ohio

Mahoning Valley Sojourn to the Past hosted the third annual Salem Teach Truth History Walking Tour on June 20.

Heather Smith, middle school teacher and event organizer, reported back,

We had 25 people in attendance, including a man from Salem who learned about it from the Zinn Education Project. He shared that he had taken classes with Howard Zinn and that each class opened his eyes and changed the way he thought about things.

We had a display about Salem history with books and information about the places we would explore on our walk since the structures are no longer there. I made buttons about one of the sites with the faces or Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth.

Before we walked, I read the Statement of Significance for the Mt. Zion AME Zion Church that recently applied for a Historical Marker and told about the 1852 interaction between Douglass and Truth in Salem that is inscribed on her tombstone in Battle Creek, Michigan.

Youngstown, Ohio

Mahoning Valley Sojourn to the Past hosted it’s annual week-long Freedom School June 15–19 at the Tyler Museum.

Heather Smith, middle school teacher and event organizer, said,

This year we had a full class of almost 30 kids in grades 4–9. We also had close to a dozen Sojourn high school students there as mentors who have gone on the Sojourn the Past journey south. This was our third freedom school and we focused on James Meredith and Vernon Dahmer. We focused on civil rights, nonviolence, and voter education. During the week, kids wrote poetry, made art about nonviolence, and presented in groups about their research.

The Vindicator and WKBN reported on the freedom school.

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Lancaster Friends School hosted a Teach Truth pop-up display at Lititz Pride. Many attendees stopped at the school tent to learn more about the Teach Truth movement. Event hosts Trex Proffitt and Andrea Carty guided visitors through the information and handed out postcards to visitors of all ages.

Seattle, Washington

For the second year, the Seattle Public Library partnered with teachers from Seattle Caucus of Rank & File Educators (SCORE) to create a display of student work with an interactive element. Sixth grade students from Seattle Public Schools submitted poems, essays, and other artwork exploring the following questions:

• Why is teaching truth important to you?
• What does decolonize 1776 mean?
• What does revolution mean?
• What change do you want to see?
• What do justice and democracy mean?

In addition to displaying the students’ artwork and writing, the library shared handouts, promoted the Books Unbanned program, and created a booklist for America250 and Teach Truth.

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

On Juneteenth, a new coalition called America 433+ hosted a teach-in at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. The event featured speakers, writing postcards to representatives, and an invitation to children to pledge to be resistance rangers and receive a Junior Resistance Ranger badge. People of all ages stepped up to take the Junior Ranger pledge.

America 433+, named for the more than 433 National Park Service locations, is a coalition of Resistance Rangers, Branch 4, Race Forward Action and Public School Strong, and the Zinn Education Project (Rethinking Schools and Teaching for Change).

One of the teach-in speakers was Ranger Elizabeth, who worked at Harpers Ferry for years trying to get the stories of the Black raiders told with an exhibit that remains “under construction” since 2019.

About a dozen young people from a summer camp took the Junior Resistance Ranger pledge and read Junior Ranger activity booklets from two other National Park Service sites (Arlington House and Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home) which the rangers are not allowed to distribute under this administration.

A number of news outlets reported on the teach-in, including NBC.

Emily Erickson, who attended the event and is an education and English major at Wellesley College, reflected,

While it was saddening hear the stories of censorship, it was very moving to be in community with so many people dedicated to fighting for the preservation of true histories that do not shy away from hard truths. While our government is actively trying to hide these histories away from the public eye, this event shone a bright light on the importance of preserving Black history and empowered the audience to do so in their communities.