News - Zinn Education Project

Teach the Struggle for Voting Rights

To help students respond to voter suppression, teach about the long history of the fight for voting rights.

Freedom Ship: The Uncharted History of Escaping Slavery by Sea

Historian Marcus Rediker discussed his books Freedom Ship: The Uncharted History of Escaping Slavery by Sea and The Many-Headed Hydra: Sailors, Slaves, Commoners, and the Hidden History of the Revolutionary Atlantic, and talked about the many enslaved people who fled successfully from the horrors of bondage in the antebellum South not by land but by sea. This class was part of the Zinn Education Project’s Teach the Black Freedom Struggle online people’s history series.

Teach About Toxins and Organizing for Environmental Justice

People’s exposure to toxic chemicals is on the rise — made worse by the recent cuts to the already limited regulations. This administration is placing the health of our students at risk.

Educators Learn Hidden History — and Talk About Why It Matters

It’s not every day that educators can learn directly from leading historians, writers, and activists, and then immediately process that learning in small groups with peers equally committed to truth and justice. That’s exactly what makes the Zinn Education Project’s Teach the Black Freedom Struggle online class series so rare and vital.

Organization of American Historians 2026 Conference

The Zinn Education Project hosted a booth with HowardZinn.org at the Organization of American Historians Conference in Philadelphia from April 16–18, 2026.

Teach Truth Public Events

We need to reach as many people as possible with information about the chilling effect of these laws and how they threaten any chance of an informed and engaged democracy. We offere here lots of ways to make our voices heard.

Teach Truth 2026

Examples of Teach Truth message at events in 2026, including No Kings, May Day, immigrant rights, Pride, Juneteenth, and other rallies and celebrations. The need to protect the freedom to learn is part of every fight for justice.

Until the Last Gun Is Silent

Historian Matthew Delmont joined Rethinking Schools executive director Cierra Kaler-Jones to discuss his latest book Until the Last Gun Is Silent: A Story of Patriotism, the Vietnam War, and the Fight to Save America’s Soul. This class was part of the Zinn Education Project’s Teach the Black Freedom Struggle online people’s history series.

Vietnam War Teaching Resources

We offer lessons, films, and this day in people’s history entries to teach about the Vietnam War and the anti-war movement.

Lessons for Earth Day

Our Climate Justice Campaign has lots of lessons and resources to help bring a climate justice curriculum to life in classrooms.

People’s History Mini-Lessons: Gallery Walks and Mixers

Make visible the history that we are defending the right to teach with mini-lessons. Participants benefit from becoming informed about key issues and inspired to take action.

Deportations — Why and How to Resist: Lessons from History

The mass kidnapping and deportation of Mexican Americans during the Great Depression had little to do with law, but is rather a program of “racial expulsion.” These lessons from history can help us today.

Teaching the Truth About May Day: Reclaiming Labor’s Global Holiday

On International Workers’ Day (May 1) there will be a national May Day Strong strike and protest.

Amicus Brief for Supreme Court Birthright Citizenship Case

Two historians from our Teach the Black Freedom Struggle series — Martha S. Jones and Kate Masur — filed an amicus brief challenging an executive order undermining birthright citizenship.

Teach Truth Campaign: At Every Rally

While education is central to the fascist agenda, it is not getting adequate attention from progressive forces. You can help shine a light on education by joining the campaign to Teach Truth.

Kimberlé W. Crenshaw on American Revolution Myths

Professor Kimberlé W. Crenshaw, founder and director of the African American Policy Forum, explains why she supports the Zinn Education Project Teach Truth About the American Revolution campaign.

Students Learn Hidden History of Reconstruction | Zinn Education Project: Teaching People's History

Students Learn the History of Reconstruction

Teachers share why they are committed to teach about Reconstruction. Their comments highlight the insights students have as a result of studying the Reconstruction era and its meaning today.

On a MOVE: Repairing Histories of State Violence

Activist Mike Africa Jr. and scholar Dr. Krystal Strong joined Rethinking Schools editor Jesse Hagopian to discuss the story of the MOVE organization, repairing histories of state violence, and the “On a MOVE” curriculum project in Philadelphia. This class was part of the Zinn Education Project’s Teach the Black Freedom Struggle online people’s history series.

Popular Lessons in 2025–2026

Check out this list of frequently downloaded lessons from the Zinn Education Project website during the 2025–2026 school year.

A mural on Whiterock Road in Belfast commemorating the Irish famine. The mural reads "Britain's genocide by starvation. Ireland's holocaust, 1845-1849. Over 1,500,000 deaths."

Teaching About Famine and Irish History on St. Patrick’s Day

Too often, textbooks present famines as natural phenomena. They are not. As Gaza moves closer toward famine, it is not hard to see its causes.

People’s History Audiograms

Listen to the audiograms of people's history scholars from the Teach the Black Freedom Struggle monthly online classes.

Lessons on Palestine-Israel

Lessons and books for K-12 on the history of Palestine and the current crisis.

Teach Truth Prep Session

At this Teach Truth Prep Session, participants will hear from the growing chorus of diverse voices speaking out to defend students’ freedom to learn and educators’ freedom to teach.

Exposing the Rhetoric of War

Resources to introduce the U.S.-Israeli war against the people of Iran in the context of history and imperialism.

Women’s History Month

For International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, we offer a collection of classroom resources, including bios of women in labor history, a class on A Black Women's History of the United States, a SNCC toolkit on women & gender, this day in people's history posts, a lesson on Black women and voting rights, a lesson on Seneca Falls, recommended children's books, and more.

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