Teach Truth Campaign Display

Update: To raise awareness about the connection between education censorship and the gutting of the Voting Rights Act, we added banned or challenged books on voting rights to the Teach Truth pop-up display. Each display box will include either One Person, No Vote (YA edition): How Not All Voters Are Treated Equally by Carol Anderson with Tonya Bolden or Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom by Lynda Blackmon Lowery.

The complaint against One Person, No Vote (the YA edition of a NYT bestseller) stated that the book “preaches victimhood and oppression,” has “blatant lies,” and “is CRT.” They said that the result of students reading the book would be “damaged souls.”

While both books have since been reshelved following a review, the vitriolic challenges have a chilling effect on publishers and educactors when considering titles that address the ongoing fight for voting rights.

Our appreciation to Bloomsbury Children’s Books and Penguin Young Readers for donating the books for the Teach Truth campaign.

The Zinn Education Project offers an interactive Teach Truth pop-up display to raise public awareness about the threat of anti-history education laws and book bans. This is one a many suggested Teach Truth resources and actions for public events.

The box includes picture books and a high school text that have been banned or challenged in recent years. The titles shine a light on some of the most frequently censored topics: racism, sexism, LGBTQ+ identity, and colonialism. When table visitors lift each book, they find a colorful paper underneath that explains why and where it has been banned or challenged.

Individuals and organizations from all over the United States have used the display for the Teach Truth campaign at #NoKings rallies, Pride festivals, bookstores, libraries, farmers’ markets, schools, Juneteenth celebrations, and more. They report that the display generates engagement and discussion.

Teachers who see the display share appreciation for the solidarity. Non-educators are often surprised and outraged and ask what they can do. Predicting that question, we include a postcard with “Teach, Vote, Resist, Organize” on one side and a range of actions one can take on the other.

To clarify that banned books are just the tip of the iceberg, the display includes Teach Banned History buttons and a Teach Banned History sign with some of the countless topics that many students are prevented from learning by anti-history education laws, high-stakes testing, and corporate textbook driven curriculum. These include resistance to enslavement, LGBTQ+ history, systemic racism, Reconstruction, voter suppression after 1965, contemporary Native Americans, environmental racism, and much more.

There is also a QR code so people can check their voter registration and information from HEAL Together about how to get involved in school boards. The American Library Association, a campaign cosponsor, provided Free People Read Freely bookmarks.

Pop-Up Displays Around the Country

Scroll through this album to see examples of pop-up displays in a wide variety of settings.

Hosting a Table

Secure a location and determine if they will provide a table or if you need to bring one. Select a place where people will come to you. It could be a library, bookstore, farmers’ market, museum, festival, pride parade, or other public place. Host the information table for two to three hours. Identify at least one other person to help you with set up, taking photos, and responding to questions as people come by.

The featured books vary depending on what is available. Titles we have used include When Wilma Rudolph Played Basketball, Our Skin, When Aidan Became a Brother, Fry Bread, and The Bluest Eye. The box also includes information sheets, books stands, and posters for the display; postcards, buttons, and bookmarks to give away; and a facilitator’s guide.

We ask for $25 to help defray the costs of shipping and some of the materials.

Order a Pop-Up Box

Acknowledgements

The Teach Truth pop-up interactive displays were prepared by the Zinn Education Project (coordinated by Rethinking Schools and Teaching for Change.)

Installation at the NEA Conference on Racial and Social Justice.

The pop-up display is a mini-version of a Teaching Banned Books installation at SXSW, hosted by the Zinn Education Project, designed by Karyn Holyk, and sponsored by Lush Cosmetics. It was also displayed at the NEA 2023 Conference on Racial and Social Justice and at various venues in New York.

The contents and production of this box is made possible by:

Book donations by Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group (Fry Bread), Capstone Publishing (When Wilma Rudolph Played Basketball), Bloomsbury Children’s Books (One Person, No Vote), Penguin Young Readers (Our Skin and Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom), and Lush Cosmetics (When Aidan Became a Brother)
Inserts designed and printed by Lush Cosmetics
Posters and support for production by the National Education Association
Bookmarks and postcards from the American Library Association and HEAL Together
Individual donors for everything else, including the postage for the first two years
Volunteer assistance for box packing