UPCOMING EVENTS
Wednesday, April 29th, 2026
6 PM – 7:30 PM
Comedy Cellar at Village Underground
130 W 3rd St,
New York, NY 10012
4th Annual Stand-Up for Free Speech Comedy Benefit
“Stand-Up for Free Speech” Comedy Benefit is back with another evening of laughter for a cause that is more important than ever. This electrifying night will be hosted by James Mattern (Last Week Tonight with John Oliver & Chris Gethard Presents) and feature Brendan Sagalow (Chris Gethard Presents), Joyelle Johnson (Crashing & Search Party), Marina Franklin (Last Week Tonight with John Oliver & Trainwreck), and headlined by Colin Quinn (Saturday Night Live & Trainwreck).
Produced by Maureen Taran of The Taran Company and will raise vital funds to support NCAC’s mission to defend and protect free expression in all its forms.
Thursday, April 30, 2026
12 pm ET
Online
Justice, the Law, and Gender-based Censorship in Art Online
Any artist whose work involves the human nude has likely learned that social media companies can remove posts on a whim, and sometimes put restrictions on accounts that they deem unfavorable. While such companies can create their own community guidelines, can they still remove works even if they don’t violate the stated guidelines? What happens when an artwork is labeled as “solicitation” but is in fact a simple nude photograph that has been presented in museums? And how is it legal that “male” appearing nipples appear to have a different set of protections than their “female” appearing counterparts? In this online talk, Lee Rowland, Executive Director at the National Coalition Against Censorship, and Erika Sanders, Counsel at the National Coalition Against Censorship, will discuss where US laws meet artistic freedom online, and how to respond when censorship isn’t “unlawful.”
Lee Rowland is the Executive Director of the National Coalition Against Censorship, where she oversees NCAC’s direct program work, legal and government advocacy, and public education. She also runs the Free Expression Network, a collaboration that brings together dozens of free expression advocates and organizations for regular strategy and information-sharing. Lee has extensive experience as a litigator, professor, and public speaker. Before coming to NCAC, Lee was a First Amendment litigator for two decades; she has also taught courses on free expression at NYU Law and CUNY’s Hunter College’s Human Rights Program. She has served as lead counsel in federal First Amendment cases involving public employee speech rights, community advocacy, government regulation of digital speech, and trademark law. As Policy Director of the NY ACLU for over five years, Lee is also a seasoned lobbyist and advocate for a range of civil liberties and free speech positions, and helped draft and pass NY’s recent Equal Rights Amendment.
Erika Sanders is Counsel at the National Coalition Against Censorship. She is passionate about advocating for a more equitable and accessible democratic system and protecting the right to free expression. Prior to joining NCAC, Erika worked on political campaigns and spent her law school summers at the Brennan Center for Justice and the Campaign Legal Center. Erika holds a J.D. from New York University School of Law, where she served as a Staff Development Editor on the Review of Law and Social Change. She graduated from Union College with a B.A. in Political Science and Classics. Her honors thesis is entitled Selma to Shelby: Voter Suppression and Its Damage to Democracy. As a Seward Fellow, she also created an original minor in Popular Culture Studies and researched the use of Shakespearean works, contemporary music, and musicals. She is a member of the New York State Bar Association.
Recent EVENTS
Tuesday, April 14, 2026
12 PM ET (9 AM PT)
Online
Uncovering the Gaze: The Female Body, Nipple Politics, and Digital Culture
Join award-winning author and activist Soraya Chemaly and critically acclaimed scholar and author Dr. Safiya Noble for a timely online conversation exploring the complex politics of women’s bodies online. Chemaly will trace how the internet’s gaze upon the nipple has evolved over time, examining the cultural shifts, recurring setbacks, and breakthroughs that have allowed it to be recognized outside of hypersexualized contexts. She will also consider how these changes shape culture, expression, and access for different communities navigating the digital world. Dr. Noble will investigate the structural forces that govern online visibility, analyzing how algorithmic systems and platform policies regulate and sexualize women’s bodies, especially those of women of color, and how these mechanisms influence popular culture online and public discourse. Together, Chemaly and Noble will offer a critical look at the intersections of technology, gender, and power, revealing how digital platforms continue to shape social norms and the politics of the female body.
Soraya Chemaly is an award-winning author and activist. As a cultural critic, she writes and speaks frequently about gender norms, social justice, free speech, sexualized violence, politics, and technology. The former Executive Director of The Representation Project and Director and co-founder of the Women’s Media Center Speech Project, she has long been committed to expanding women’s civic and political participation. As an activist, Ms. Chemaly also spearheaded several successful global campaigns challenging corporations to address online hate and harassment, restrictive content moderation and censorship, and institutional biases that undermine equity and negatively affect free speech. Her first book, Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger, was recognized as a Best Book of 2018 by the Washington Post, Fast Company, Psychology Today, and NPR, and has been translated into multiple languages. Her recent notable publications include The Resilience Myth: New Thinking on Grit, Strength, and Growth After Trauma and All We Want Is Everything: How We Want Is Everything (both Simon & Schuster).
Dr. Safiya Noble is the David O. Sears Presidential Endowed Chair of Social Sciences and Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She is the Director of the Center on Resilience & Digital Justice and Co-Director of the Minderoo Initiative on Tech & Power at UCLA. She currently serves as a Director of the UCLA DataX Initiative, leading work in critical data studies for the campus. Dr. Noble is the author of the best-selling book on algorithmic harm in commercial search engines, entitled Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism (NYU Press), which has been widely reviewed in scholarly and popular publications. In 2021, she was recognized as a MacArthur Foundation Fellow for her groundbreaking work on algorithmic discrimination. She is a member of several academic journals and advisory boards, and holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Library & Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a B.A. in Sociology from California State University, Fresno, where she was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award for 2018.
Friday, April 10, 202612:00 PM EST
Online
Which Way Forward? When Ideological Pressures Threaten Institutional Values
How cultural institutions navigate political pressure while staying true to their missions and continuing their work.
From Executive Orders aimed at reshaping federal policies relating to race, gender, and U.S. history, to its declaration that museums across the country are the “last remaining segment of woke,” the Executive Branch of the United States has made plain its expectations on the country’s cultural sector. When such expectations stand to directly or indirectly influence funding, leaders of cultural institutions have difficult decisions to make: choosing, it seems, between fiscal viability and institutional integrity. For nonprofit organizations working in the cultural sector, however, the way forward is almost always through an examination of and recommitment to organizational values.
In this episode of NCAC’s Collective Courage Conversation Series, Ann Burroughs, President and CEO of the Japanese American National Museum, and Dr. Yomaira Figueroa-Vázquez, Director of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies (CENTRO) at CUNY Hunter, discuss how their organizations have taken seemingly divergent paths forward to achieving the same outcome: continuing their programs as intended.
Participant bios:
Ann Burroughs is the President and CEO of the Japanese American National Museum and its National Center for the Preservation of Democracy. She is an internationally recognized leader in the field of human rights and social justice. She is Chair of the International Board of Directors of Amnesty International, the immediate past Chair of Amnesty International USA, and a former Chair of Amnesty International’s Global Assembly, its highest decision-making body. She is also on the board of the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation. Her life-long commitment to racial and social justice was shaped by her experience as a young activist in her native South Africa where she was jailed as a political prisoner for her opposition to apartheid. For over 25 years, she has worked with leaders, organizations, and networks in the US and abroad to promote racial justice and a rights-based culture. She has previously served as Executive Director of the Taproot Foundation and as the Executive Director of LA Works, and has worked as a consultant to private philanthropic foundations such the Omidyar Network and the Rockefeller Foundation.
Yomaira C. Figueroa-Vásquez is an Afro-Puerto Rican writer, teacher, and scholar from Hoboken, NJ. She is Professor of Africana, Puerto Rican, and Latino Studies and is the Director of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies (CENTRO) at CUNY Hunter. She is author of the award-winning book Decolonizing Diasporas: Radical Mappings of Afro-Atlantic Literature (Northwestern University Press, 2020; translation, Editora Educación Emergente, 2023), and the forthcoming book, The Survival of a People (under contract with Duke University Press). Her published work can be found in Hypatia, Decolonization, CENTRO Journal, Small Axe, Frontiers Journal, Hispanofila, Contemporânea, Diálogos, and Feminist Formations.
Wednesday April 8, 202612:40 PM EST | 9:40 AM PT
Online
Artistic Expression in an Age of Political Pressure
Universities have long been incubators for using artistic expression to test the boundaries of dissent. But recent controversies — from Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension to attacks on the Smithsonian museums — suggest a chilling resurgence of political influence over creative voices and mediums. This conversation will explore the civic implications of silencing critics and the power of art to foster understanding in American culture.
- Elizabeth Larison, Arts and Culture Advocacy Program Director, National Coalition Against Censorship
- Taravat Talepasand, Artist, Activist & Educator
- Moderator: Jennifer A. González, Professor of the History of Art and Visual Culture, UC Santa Cruz
Thursday, April 2, 2026
12 pm – 1:30 pm EDT
Online
Breasts throughout Art History: Symbolism to Censorship
Art historian Carolina Pasti explores depictions of the breast in art, and how history, taboos, and culture shape its meaning.
For as long as there has been art, there has been art depicting the human body. Yet, perhaps no part of the body has received as varied an interpretation as the human breast. In this slide show lecture, art historian and curator Carolina Pasti presents works of art in which breasts are depicted, examining how historical trends and taboos have shaped their interpretation, instrumentalization, and circulation in art over time. From subversive resistance, to breastfeeding, and cancer awareness, this lecture rejects the idea that breasts can only be seen in the context of the male gaze.
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Carolina Pasti is a curator and an art advisor based in Milan and Paris. She specialises in building and enhancing art collections for a diverse clientele, working with both private and corporate clients.
Born and raised in Milan, Carolina holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History from Universita’ Cattolica Milan. Formerly, she was the Director and Curator of the Schulhof Collection in New York, where her focus was on Post-War and Contemporary Art. During her tenure, Carolina played a pivotal role in orchestrating the donation of over 100 artworks from the family Estate to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, the Whitney Museum in New York, and the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Her book A Life with Artists: Hannelore and Rudolph Schulhof was published by Rizzoli, Skira in 2016. In 2024, she curated the Breasts exhibition at the historic Palazzo Franchetti during the Venice Biennial with over 65,000 visitors seeing the show. Breasts showcased the diverse works of emerging and established artists from around the world, spanning the realms of painting, sculpture, photography, and film. Carolina recently curated Lines of Stillness (October 2025), an exhibition of new works by Teniqua Crawford presented in dialogue with the Marta Sala Editions Paris. She also participated in Bel Ouvrage (January 2026), curating a selection of artists at Karl Lagerfeld’s former residence in Paris.
Thursday, March 26, 2026
Noon – 1:00 pm EDT
Online
Museums under Pressure: Preparedness and Strategies in a Time of Increased Scrutiny
As programs and exhibitions at museums on college and university campuses face increased scrutiny from their parent organizations and government agencies, museum staff need to develop strategies for protecting their core mission and values. This webinar will address the unique pressures that academic museums and galleries face (both past and present), and present ways in which proactive exhibition policies, curatorial strategies, and crisis response planning can help support academic museums and galleries in retaining scrutinized or contested programs.
Participants are also welcome to remain on Zoom from 1:00pm – 1:30pm for an informal discussion following the presentation.
This webinar will be led by Elizabeth Larison, Director of Arts and Culture Advocacy at the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC).
Thursday, March 5, 2026
6:30 PM to 8:00 PM EST
Online & In-Person
George Mason University
Poe Room, Floor 9, Indigo, Baltimore
AWP 2026: BURNING OF THE BOOKS: Long live the republic of imagination!
The Republic of Imagination is under threat. To protect it we need to work together. Join us in honoring and celebrating writers, artists, publishers, librarians and curators who are committed to defending freedom of expression – here in the U.S. and around the world. We will gather in the Edgar Allan “Poe Room” at Hotel Indigo for short readings and discussion, and audience participation. Afterwards, the gathering will migrate downstairs to Poets Cafe for further conversation.
Akram Aylisli’s books were burned in 2013, and he continues to be persecuted by his own government in Azerbaijan. Russian missiles destroyed one of Ukraine’s largest book-printing factories in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Katya Kazirimova saved some of the books and carries them as talismans of a country pummeled by Russia’s war. Amy Sherald moved her exhibition from the Smithsonian to the Baltimore Museum of Art so she would not be censored. The brave artists, writers and their publishers, translators, curators and the museums, libraries, bookstores and spaces that share their work, work together to hold together our republic of imagination. Come hear their voices and celebrate the human spirit.
Event Hosts & Sponsors: Full Bleed, the Maryland Institute College of Art, the Cheuse Center, Poetry Daily, Watershed Lit, the MFA at George Mason
Cover photo credit: Full Bleed journal, Issue 08: https://www.full-bleed.org/issue-8-censorship
Elizabeth Larison is the Director of Arts and Culture Advocacy at the National Coalition Against Censorship, a member and co-curator at Don’t Delete Art, and a writer and curator. At NCAC Elizabeth oversees art censorship case interventions and advocacy leadership; field-wide strategizing and education initiatives; develops and distributes resources; and collaborates with other organizations in the field to strengthen artistic freedom across the United States. Elizabeth’s work has been featured in The Art Newspaper, Art in America, The Interlocutor, Transatlantica, Full Bleed, and Art21, and she regularly speaks on artistic freedom in the United States and online, and has done so at events hosted by Amant, ArtTable, Art at a Time Like This, Artists at Risk Connection, Brooklyn Rail, CEC Artslink, Four Freedoms Park Conservancy, Lawyers for the Creative Arts, New York City Council, RightsCon, Undoxx, the University of Texas at Houston, Zocalo Public Square, among others. Elizabeth holds degrees in Human Rights (BA, Bard College) and Curatorial Studies (MA, Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College), and has over fifteen years of experience working in civil society organizations expanding access to and participation in the arts, and defending artistic freedom.
Roman Kostovski translates poetry and prose from Bosnian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Macedonian, Russian, Serbian, and Slovak into English. His translations have appeared in numerous journals, including Absinthe-New European Writings and Watchword Press and the Poet Lore. His full-length translations include Arnost Lustig’s Fire on Water (Northwestern University Press, 2006), Viktor Dyk’s Czech classic The Ratcatcher (Plamen Press, 2014), Vitězslav Nezval’s Farewell and a Handkerchief-Poems from the Road (Plamen Press, 2020). He founded Plamen Press in 2015, a print-on-demand publishing house for the promotion of literature from Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe throughout the English-speaking world. He works and resides in Washington, D.C.
Ilya Kaminsky was born in Odesa, Ukraine and came to the United States in 1993 after his family received asylum. He is the author of Deaf Republic (Graywolf Press) and Dancing in Odessa (Tupelo Press), and has co-edited and co-translated several books. His work has been a finalist for the National Book Award and has received numerous honors, including the Los Angeles Times Book Award, Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, National Jewish Book Award, Guggenheim Fellowship, and Whiting Award. Deaf Republic was named a Notable Book by The New York Times and a Best Book of the Year by many major publications. Kaminsky collaborates across artistic disciplines; his project Odesa with photographer Yelena Yamchuk was listed among Time’s 20 Best Photo Books of 2022. His poetry has been translated into over twenty languages and published internationally, earning honors in France, Italy, Germany, and China. In 2019, BBC named him one of “12 artists that changed the world.” He has worked in legal aid and immigration advocacy and now teaches at Princeton University.
Kateryna Kazimirova is an editor and media manager. She holds Master’s degrees in Philology (Ukrainian Language and Literature) and History of Art and a Postgraduate degree in Literary Theory from Vasyl’ Stus Donetsk National University. In 2020, she founded the Ukrainian art and literature journal Craft Magazine (craftmagazine.net), which publishes both in Ukrainian and English in-depth interviews with the most talented and creative Ukrainians to showcase to the world the leading voices of modern, free Ukraine.
Moazzam Sheikh was born in Lahore and moved to the SF Bay Area in 1985. He studied cinema at San Francisco State before earning his MLIS from San Jose State University. He is a librarian at the San Francisco Public Library. He has translated literature across Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and English. He has edited two anthologies of South Asian literature and is the author of two collections of short stories and three novellas: A Footbridge to Hell Called Love (2022); Unsolaced Faces We Meet in Our Dreams (2024), and We Don’t Love Here Anymore (2025). He is also the founding editor of a magazine dedicated to South Asian American literature called Weavers Literary Review. He lives with his wife in SF and has two sons.
Danielle P. Williams is a Black and Chamorro poet, translator, essayist, and spoken-word artist from Columbia, South Carolina, who earned an MFA in poetry from George Mason University in 2021. Her chapbook, Who All Gon’ Be There?, was a finalist for the 2021 Button Poetry Chapbook Contest and selected for publication by Backbone Press. Her debut collection, Chamorrita Song, was published by the University of Arizona Press in January 2026. Her work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best New Poets, and Best of the Net, with fellowships from Open Mouth Poetry Retreat, Palm Beach Poetry Festival, The Watering Hole, and The Cheuse Center. Her poetry and nonfiction appear in Gulf Coast Journal, Indiana Review, The Pinch, Hobart, Ninth Letter, Cobra Milk, and more. She is based in Los Angeles.
Katherine E. Young is the author of two poetry collections, including Day of the Border Guards, and two chapbooks. Her work appears in journals such as Prairie Schooner and The Iowa Review, and has been adapted into film, music, and dance. She translates contemporary writing from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine, including works by Anna Starobinets and Akram Aylisli. Her translations have won international awards, including the 2022 Granum Foundation Translation Prize. Young has received honors from the National Endowment for the Arts and served as Arlington, Virginia’s inaugural Poet Laureate (2016–2018).
Monday, February 23, 2026
10:30 PM EST | 7:30 PM PT
Online & In-Person
Zocalo Public Square
1111 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA
How Do Museums Resist Censorship?
Co-presented by Zócalo Public Square, Japanese American National Museum (JANM), and The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)
Moderated by Elizabeth Larison, Director, Arts and Culture Advocacy Program, National Coalition Against Censorship
Museums tell America’s story. Exhibit by exhibit, they acquire, study, preserve, and interpret art and artifacts for the public, offering proof to bolster thoughtful interpretations of our national truths. But they haven’t always done so freely.
Critics, including from the government, have often tried to impose their own viewpoints, suppressing voices in the process: U.S. Rep. George Anthony Dondero’s midcentury McCarthyist strike against modern art as “communistic”; Hamilton County, Ohio’s 1990 obscenity charge against Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center and its director for exhibiting a Robert Mapplethorpe retrospective; the National Gallery of Art’s decision to cancel its 2018 Chuck Close retrospective exhibition following allegations of the artist’s sexual misconduct, in the wake of the #MeToo movement.
Censorship is a worsening challenge, as a March 2025 executive order, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” takes aim at museums, parks, and other institutions in an effort to revise and reshape how America presents its history and culture. What can museums do when the state imposes revisionist history on them? Can curation be a form of self-censorship? Is censorship ever good? And what have museums done to protect their freedom of expression and the separation between art and state?
Zócalo, JANM, and MOCA co-present a discussion at the top of L.A.’s art week: American Alliance of Museums board chair and museum director Devon Akmon, JANM president and CEO Ann Burroughs, and The Brick director and MONUMENTS co-curator Hamza Walker will discuss how museums resist the erasure and revision of our history and culture, and what this means for how we document our shared past, present, and future.
Sunday, December 4, 2025
10:00 am – 5:00 pm
New York, NY (in-person only–limited capacity!)
7th Annual Curatorial Workshop:
“Curating in Challenging Times”
This is a challenging time for curators and leaders of cultural institutions across the U.S.
Amid government initiatives to defund and scrutinize specific kinds of cultural expression and historical analysis, curators and directors of cultural institutions must also balance concerns from risk-averse colleagues and institutional leadership.
Curators–even those who work in private institutions that do not rely on government funding–are caught between conflicting needs of continuing their mission-driven work, protecting those who take part in it, and ensuring institutional viability during political and financial instability. Under these compounding pressures, some institutions and curators feel they must self-censor, while others are intent on finding another way forward.
NCAC’s 7th Curatorial Workshop is a day-long workshop that brings together curators and leaders of cultural institutions to discuss strategies for curating exhibitions and cultural programs. Through speaker presentations and group discussions led by Claudia Zapata (Blanton Museum of Art, University of Texas at Austin), Noam Segal (Guggenheim Museum), and Denise Ryner (ICA Philadelphia) and others, participants will examine case-studies in which curators have had to navigate targeted pressures, the workshop invites cultural leaders to discuss and identify strategies for maintaining creative and scholarly autonomy.
To join, apply via this form no later than November 2, 2025.
Saturday, October 18, 2025
2 PM
127 Elizabeth Street,
NY NY 10013
Censorship Now: Who Fears Artistic Freedom?
With Elizabeth Larison, Director, NCAC’s Arts & Culture Advocacy Program
Brian Boucher, regular contributor to Artnet and Sara Nadal-Melsió, former director of the Whitney Independent Studies Program
Addressing the current wave of censorship of arts and culture in the United States, these panelists will examine the range of responses to this complex situation. All of the speakers have first hand experience with the increasingly chilly arts atmosphere, not only caused by the latest government mandates and strengthening of conservative policies. Major museums and arts organizations, galleries, public art projects and community events have also curtailed their support of free expression due to fear of losing
funding or encountering retaliation. The situation begs the question: What’s so scary about freedom of expression? And what do we fear will happen if we fail to respond to the latest challenges?
Art at a Time Like This is a nonprofit arts organization providing opportunities for artists and curators to address current events and pressing issues. Now in its fifth year, Art at a Time Like This has consistently upheld the first amendment rights of its participants even when challenged. It has provided platforms for artists from Hong Kong, Afghanistan, Ukraine and other locales where authoritarian regimes prevent free expression for artists. In the United States, we have presented works by artists with experience with the criminal justice system and others with limited rights and recognition.
Wednesday, October 8, 2025
4 PM
A Fight for Our Rights: Youth Fighting Book Bans
With NCAC’s SAS ’24 Leader, Iris Mogul
Monday, October 6, 2025
4 PM
Policy as an Advocacy Tool: Tips for Booksellers, Librarians, and Community Advocates
With Christine Emeran, Director, NCAC’s Youth Free Expression Program
Policy can be a powerful tool when fighting censorship in bookstores, libraries, and other places communities rely on to access information. Join experts in building and implementing policies for bookstores and for libraries, and learn how community advocates can use policy in their work. Attendees will walk away with more knowledge about the qualities of good information access policies, resources for developing policies, and how librarians, bookstore owners, and community members can work together to protect the freedom to read.
Tuesday, September 30, 2025
7 PM
Online – 92NY
Shadowbanned & Shutdown: Censorship in the Digital Public Square
Toward the end of 2024, amid scrutiny from the new administration and free speech concerns, social media platforms like Meta and X stopped moderating content. Without governmental or self-regulation, social media became an even more conspicuous source of misinformation and a rabbit hole for anyone looking for hard news.
Algorithms are often designed to tailor newsfeeds and deliberately conceal information that interferes with a user’s political preferences and beliefs. This platform censorship and selective information gathering negatively affect democracy. Are First Amendment rights being trampled by compromised access to news and information? What duties do these platforms have to life in liberal democracies? Are digital ethics and best practices being ignored, and how can social media platforms be held accountable?
Join us for a Conversation with the Executive Director of the National Coalition Against Censorship, Lee Rowland; Techdirt founder and editor and Bluesky board member, Mike Masnick; and Litigation Director at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, Alex Abdo.
Thursday, September 25, 2025
6PM – 8 PM
1 E 53rd St,
New York, NY 10022
New York, NY | ArtTable’s Annual Leadership Series | Art at Risk: Censorship and the Fight for Creative Freedom
In today’s increasingly polarized cultural and political landscape, arts professionals are grappling with urgent questions: How do institutions remain true to their missions while navigating the risks of presenting complex or controversial narratives? What role does censorship play in shaping the stories we tell through exhibitions, acquisitions, publications, and programming?
ArtTable’s 2025 Annual Leadership Series returns with a timely conversation on the evolving responsibilities of arts institutions in an era of heightened scrutiny and constrained freedoms. This year’s panel features acclaimed artist Marilyn Minter, cultural leader and curator Sara Reisman, and art lawyer Katherine Wilson-Milne, in conversation with moderator Elizabeth Larison, Arts and Culture Advocacy Program Director at National Coalition Against Censorship. Scroll down to learn more about our panelists!
Thursday, June 12, 2025
6 PM – 7 PM
Rockefeller Hall at Vassar College 124 Raymond Ave, Poughkeepsie, NY 12604
Eleanor Roosevelt: Censorship, Past & Present Panel Discussion
Join us for a dynamic panel discussion on the legacy of Eleanor Roosevelt’s fight for free expression and how censorship continues to shape our world today. Featuring Blanche Wiesen Cook (Roosevelt biographer), Yana Gorokhovskaia (Freedom House), Lee Rowland (NCAC), Daniel Shank Cruz (PEN America), and Miriam Cohen (Evalyn Clark Professor Emerita of History), this conversation will explore the past and present of intellectual freedom, global censorship trends, and what Roosevelt’s legacy can teach us in this moment.
Sunday, June 1, 2025
12 PM – 4 PM
Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms State Park
1 FDR Four Freedoms Park New York, NY 10044
Unbanned: Read in Resistance with Mike Curato
Join us for Read in Resistance, a powerful day of reflection, protest, and storytelling at FDR Four Freedoms State Park. As part of the UNBANNED initiative presented by Four Freedoms Park Conservancy and the National Coalition Against Censorship, we invite you to reclaim the right to read.
🌟 Special Guest: Mike Curato
Acclaimed author and illustrator Mike Curato will read excerpts from his banned graphic novel Flamer—a deeply personal story of identity, self-discovery, and resilience. Catch readings at 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM in the Banned Books tent.
We will have limited free copies of Mike’s book, FLAMER and signed book plates.
Throughout the Park, you’ll find small, thoughtfully arranged reading areas featuring a curated collection of banned and challenged books. Bring a friend, pick a book, and take a stand—by simply sitting and reading.
This is more than a quiet afternoon at the park. It’s a peaceful, collective protest. A space to reflect, resist, and reconnect with the power of free expression.
🎟️ Free & Open to All | Books provided on-site | All ages welcome
This event is part of:
Thursday, May 29, 2025
7 PM – 8 PM ET
The Threat to Separation of Church and State With Rob Boston
Join Rob Boston from Americans United for the Separation of Church and State to learn about the current threats to religious pluralism and what we can do to resist them.
Attempts to impose explicitly religious content and values in civic institutions are rampant at the local, state, and federal levels. From prayer in schools to more religious exemptions from federal laws, America is facing the most dire attacks on the separation of church and state in decades. Rob Boston, who has spent over 30 years working with Americans United, will explain the landscape of threats, as well as what RRN affiliates can do when their local governments violate the Constitution’s mandate for religious pluralism.
Thursday, May 22, 2025
5 PM – 6:30 PM
Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms State Park
1 FDR Four Freedoms Park New York, NY 10044
Unbanned: Censorship and the First Amendment: Q & A
Join NCAC’s Executive Director, Free Speech Lawyer and Advocate, Lee Rowlan, who will give a broad overview of free expression values, the contours of the First Amendment, and a deeper dive into censorship threats in America today. Lee will discuss the basics of the First Amendment, current legal cases and public controversies involving free speech and censorship, and free expression trends in the law, legislation, and executive actions. After a 30-minute overview, Lee will answer any and all questions about the First Amendment, censorship, and free expression.
This event is part of:
Saturday, May 17, 2025
1PM – 3PM
Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms State Park
1 FDR Four Freedoms Park New York, NY 10044
Unbanned: Art Censorship in America
Join NCAC’s Director of the Arts & Culture Advocacy Program, Elizabeth Larison for a talk on recent incidents of art censorship in the U.S. Audiences will learn more about how to define censorship in the U.S. context, identify its mechanisms, and understand factors that lead to self-censorship.
This event is part of:
Tuesday, May 6, 2025
6PM
THIS SHOW IS 21+ SEATING WILL BEGIN 30 MINUTES PRIOR TO SHOWTIME.
The Village Underground
130 W 3rd St, New York, NY 10012
2WAY & FIRE present: A live taping of The Moynihan Report
“Means to an End: A Conversation About Free Speech Under Trump 2.0”
A live taping of The Moynihan Report, featuring Michael Moynihan (The Fifth Column, VICE), Nico Perrino,(Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, So to Speak podcast), Ilya Shapiro (The Manhattan Institute), Lee Rowland (National Coalition Against Censorship).
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Doors: 7PM
Show: 8PM – 10PM
Gotham Comedy Club
208 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10011
Tickets: $45
“Stand-Up for Free Speech” Comedy Benefit
The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) proudly announces the return of its 3rd annual “Stand-Up for Free Speech” Comedy Benefit, an electrifying evening of laughter with a purpose. The event, hosted by NCAC board member and Emmy Award-winning comedian Judy Gold (Comedy Central Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens, It’s Judy’s Show with Judy Gold & Showtime’s First Lady), will feature performances from an all-star lineup, including Alex English (NBC’s Saturday Night Live & HBO’s That Damn Michael Che) Mark Normand (TBS’s CONAN, CBS’s Late Show with Stephen Colbert & Comedy Central’s Inside Amy Schumer), Jessica Kirson (FX’s Hysterical, HBO’s Crashing & Netflix’s Friends Who Kill), and Adam Ferrara (A&E’s Top Gear US, FX’s Rescue Me & Showtime’s Nurse Jackie).
All money raised will go to NCAC to continue its work fighting censorship everywhere.
Thursday, April 3, 2025
1:00 to 2:30 p.m. EDT / 12:00 p.m. to 1:30pm CDT
ONLINE
Social Media & Art Censorship
If you’re an artist who wants to share your creations with a wider audience, you know how important it is to post your work on social media. Just as important is understanding the rules of the social media platform you’re using – because bumping up against community guidelines and the platform’s terms of use can have long term impacts from downranking to banning. In this Zoom program, Saper Law will discuss where the laws stand now, and then Don’t Delete Art will share how artists can engage in DDA’s anti-censorship advocacy efforts. Learn how intellectual property, artistic expression, and free speech interact with corporate social media platform rules, and how artists can navigate the digital landscape. Plus, we’ll answer your questions! Full event information here.
Thursday, April 3, 2025
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST
Attend in person:
Join us in person at St. John’s University School of Law, Belson Moot Court Room, 2nd Floor
Attend Online:
We’re broadcasting the symposium online in real time. You’ll receive the online attendance information after you register.
2025 JCRED Symposium
Presented in-person and online, this Symposium will explore the intersection of free speech, higher education, and legal frameworks in a rapidly changing world. A panel of esteemed legal scholars, practitioners, and thought leaders will delve into key issues, including the application of the fighting words doctrine, the balance between free expression and campus safety, and the evolving role of the legal system in shaping speech rights on college campuses. Join us for a day of engaging discussions addressing these critical topics.
Opening Speaker
Catherine Ross, Professor of Law, George Washington University Law School
Panelists
- Donald Downs, Professor of Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Christine Emeran, Director, Youth Free Expression Program
- Adam Goldstein, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, FIRE
- Gene Policinski, Senior Fellow for the First Amendment, Freedom Forum
- Mark Tushnet, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law Emeritus, Harvard Law School
- Eli Wald, Professor of Law, University of Denver Sturm College of Law
March 27, 2025
3:00 pm ET
Online
RRN Workshop Series: Book Banning and the Law
Join us for a workshop hosted by NCAC’s Executive Director Lee Rowland and Legal Fellow Erika Sanders. They will discuss book ban agitators’ shift from attempting to enact their agenda on the local level to the state level and how to understand the language in these censorship bills.
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
7:15 a.m. EST
Don’t Delete Art: Why Content Moderation Must Account for Artistic Context
In this Lightning Talk, Elizabeth Larison (Director, Arts & Culture Advocacy Program at the National Coalition Against Censorship and member of Don’t Delete Art) and Emma Shapiro (Editor-at-Large, Don’t Delete Art, and artist) discuss how ill-considered content moderation negatively affects artists in unintended ways and replicates social iniquities, and why the digital rights and tech communities need to integrate artistic perspectives into discussions of content moderation and enforcement. Register via Rightscon.
Saturday, February 22,
11:45 a.m. EST
Amnesty International General Meeting: Authoritarianism & Human Rights: What’s Coming and What Can We Do?
President Trump has repeatedly threatened peaceful protesters, critics, journalists, political opponents, civil society, and identities of nearly every type. This interactive workshop examines the rise of authoritarian practices and connects global human rights struggles to emerging realities in the United States. This thematic umbrella encompasses a wide range of interconnected issues, including the protection of civil society space, defeating HR 9495, addressing gun violence and national security, advancing RMR, promoting gender justice, and more. Using a human rights lens, we will explore a range of authoritarian tactics we need to prepare for by drawing on international examples and U.S. contexts. Participants will identify key indicators of authoritarian practices, understand the impact on human rights and freedoms, and learn concrete strategies for resistance. By linking international lessons to local realities, the workshop empowers attendees to recognize and respond to these trends in their own communities.
Thursday, November 21
10:30-5:00 pm EST
New York, NY (in-person only)
NCAC’s 6th Annual Curatorial Workshop: Curating Political Art and Politically-Outspoken Artists During Times of Intense Division
NCAC’s 6th Curatorial Workshop is dedicated to helping curators meet the challenge of presenting political art and politically engaged artists during times of intense political tension. Through speaker presentations and group discussions led by Natalie Bell (Curator, MIT List Visual Arts Center), Dalina Perdomo-Alverez (Associate Curator, MSU Broad Art Museum), Diya Vij (Curator, Creative Time) and others, participants will consider strategies to address the specific challenges curators and institutions face when attempting to address politics in an increasingly polarized society. For more information, including application requirements and deadlines, click here.
Tuesday, November 19
6:00 PM – 9:30 PM ET
Tribeca Rooftop,
2 Desbrosses Street,
New York, New York
NCAC’s 50th Anniversary LET ME SPEAK: A Celebration and Benefit of Free Speech and its Defenders
Each year, NCAC recognizes the notable contributions of Free Speech Defenders whose activism has profoundly impacted the protection of First Amendment rights. This year is NCAC’s 50th anniversary celebration, and we look forward to looking back at where the organization has been, where we are today, and where we are going in the future.
This year’s event will be hosted by Judy Gold and will honor Floyd Abrams (First Amendment Attorney Award), Henry Louis Gates (Phil Harvey Freedom of Thought Award), Lee Bollinger (Judy Blume Lifetime Achievement Award), Noam Dworman (Free Speech Defender in Entertainment Award), and Jodi Picoult (Robie Harris Author Award)
Join us on November 19, 2023, at Tribeca Rooftop, 2 Desbrosses Street, New York, New York, from 6 – 9:30 p.m. ET, as NCAC honors this year’s Free Speech Defenders. For information regarding tickets and sponsorship opportunities, please contact NCAC’s Chief Strategy and Development Officer, Josh Corday, at [email protected].
Thursday, November 14
7:00pm ET
Virtual
The Dangers of Book Ratings & Labeling
Often called ‘red-flagging,’ rating and labeling library books is an under-discussed consequence of the book-banning movement.
Hear from Carolyn Foote, co-founder of the Texas FReadom Fighters, as she shares what we can do to counter calls to label, restrict, or segregate library books.
Friday, November 8
7:30pm EST
Jack Exhibition Space, Brooklyn, NY
NCAC Teach in on Art Censorship in the US
Join Elizabeth Larison, Director of the Arts & Culture Advocacy Program at the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC), for a teach-in on recent art censorship in the U.S. Larison will explore examples including the silencing of artists making work that critiques police brutality, the military-industrial complex, and more. This teach-in will offer artists tools to define censorship in the U.S. context, identify its mechanisms, and understand factors that lead to self-censorship. Case examinations and subsequent discussion will equip participants with a deeper understanding of the relational and institutional work needed to protect artistic freedom.
Saturday, October 19
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM ET
Central Library,
10 Grand Army Plaza
Brooklyn, NY 11238
Freedom to Read Day of Action Rally
Join us on Saturday, October 19, for a Rally to Protect the Freedom to Read!
The freedom to read is an American value that must be protected. Book bans and challenges in the U.S. reached an all-time high in 2023 and continue to happen at an alarming rate. It’s more important than ever to show support for local libraries and the freedom to read.
On Saturday, October 19, 2024, libraries, bookstores, publishers, readers and other partners nationwide are hosting rallies and community events to unite against book bans and demonstrate our shared commitment to this fundamental freedom. Join Brooklyn Public Library for a day of action on Central Library’s Plaza featuring speakers, book giveaways and activities that honor the joy of reading and thinking independently.
Special guests include NCAC’s own Lee Rowland, Eric Klinenberg (author of 2020: One City, Seven People, and the Year that Changed Everything, and Palaces for the People), performances by the Resistance Revival Chorus, interview recording by our friends at StoryCorps, a live taping of The Beautiful & Banned podcast, inspiring calls to action from teen advocates, and much more.
Check out Freedom to Read Day of Action events on October 19 at The New York Public Library and Queens Public Library.
Thursday, October 3
1:00 PM – 2:15 PM ET
Zoom
RRN Workshop: Promoting Diversity in Literature w/ “We Need Diverse Books”
Monday, September 30
3:30-5:00 pm EDT /
2:30-4:00 pm CDT
Online
WITNESS to Misogyny: Public Art and Gender
An online discussion about the role and reception of public art and the response to Shahzia Sikander’s Witness statue at the University of Houston. Panelists include Maria Gaztambide, Director of the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico; Elizabeth Larison, Director of the Arts & Culture Advocacy Program at the National Coalition Against Censorship; and Preetika Rajgariah, Artist. The discussion will be moderated by Elizabeth Gregory, Director of the Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies program at the University of Houston.
Tuesday, September 25
6:00 PM – 9:30 PM ET
Peter Jay Sharp Theatre
2537 Broadway,
New York, NY 10025
Selected Shorts: Banned Books with Host Judy Blume
Celebrate the power of literature with Judy Blume as she takes the stage for an evening of funny and gripping tales that push boundaries. Join us as incredible actors bring to life compelling and thought-provoking stories on frequently censored topics, and by authors whose books have been the target of bans. This evening features stories by Roxane Gay, Shirley Jackson, Xu Mason, Walter Dean Myers, and David Sedaris, with performances by actors Jelani Alladin (Fellow Travelers), Jessica Hecht (Special), Troy Iwata (The Daily Show), Maulik Pancholy (30 Rock), and Amy Ryan (Only Murders in the Building)!
Use promo code NCAC for discounted livestreaming tickets!
Wednesday, August 14
8 PM – 9 PM ET
ZOOM
FREEDOM TO READ WEBINAR
Freedom to Read webinar empowering people all over the country to get involved with the fight against censorship! Panelists from the Little Free Library Read in Color Program, Youth Action Fund, ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom, Banned Books Week Campaign, the National Coalition of Censorship, and PEN America will come together to share their experiences and show you how to get involved with local anti-censorship advocacy.
Sign up at https://bit.ly/freedomtoread_
Wednesday, July 24
5:30 PM – 6:45 PM ET
17 Battery Pl, New York, NY 10004.
Empowering Young Filmmakers: 20 Years of the Youth Free Expression Film Contest
For the 20th Anniversary of the Youth Free Expression Film Contest, you are invited to join us for a celebration of student artistic freedom and creative expression in film.
The event will feature a film screening showcasing selected winners from the past 20 years, followed by a panel discussion featuring previous film contest judges and past winning filmmakers. Come see the importance of free expression in youth filmmaking!
Featuring award-winning actor, filmmaker, director, Matthew Modine!
Participation is free. Registration is required.
Seating is limited so attendance will be on a first come, first serve basis.
About the Speakers:
Matthew Modine is known for his work in hundreds of films television shows, and theatre. NYTIMES film critic Vincent Canby proclaimed Modine to be one of most versatile actors of his generation. Roles in such iconic films as “Full Metal Jacket,” “Birdy,” “Vision Quest” and the international hit Netflix series “Stranger Things,” have cemented his position in the entertainment industry. He consistently brings a wealth of experience and passion to his work in the cinematic arts.
Modine’s commitment to storytelling and deep his appreciation for independent film align perfectly with NCAC’s mission to enrich audiences by sharing immersive and captivating films that inspire conversation, create community and connect us to the larger world.
Connie Shi is an award-winning actor and filmmaker based in Brooklyn, NY. She’s the producer of The Looming Cloud which premiered at Sundance 2024 and currently plays Detective Violet Yee on Law & Order.
Jonathan Whittaker is a seasoned New York-based production specialist, known for acclaimed projects like “Train Baby” and “America Here We Come,” with over 20 years of industry experience. As a Chair of Filmmaking at NYFA New York, he mentors aspiring filmmakers, sharing his expertise in the art of storytelling.
Gina Maria Leonetti is an NCAC Board member and a freelance documentary and film producer. She’s a graduate of the Directors Guild NYC Training Program and worked as an Assistant Director on films, television and commercials for 20 years.
Mark Leschinsky is an award-winning student filmmaker from Mahwah, NJ. In addition, he is the founder of the Student World Impact Film Festival (SWIFF), where he aims to empower the voices of fellow youth filmmakers.
Friday, May 10, 2024
4:00 PM – 5:30 PM EDT
Spring Studios,
50 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013
RSVP Required
Don’t Delete Art: Is Social Media Beyond Our Control?
Art censorship is alive and well on social media, where major tech companies serve as arbiters, dictating what content is seen and what is banned or pushed into the digital margins through algorithmic control. This can have dire consequences for emerging artists who use online platforms to build their careers, earn income, and display their art in otherwise repressive societies. Emma Shapiro (Don’t Delete Art), Elizabeth Larison (National Coalition Against Censorship), and Sibila Sotomayor Van Rysseghem (LASTESIS) will explore the reality of artistic suppression on social media and the tangible impacts censorship on digital platforms can have on artists’ livelihoods, emotional well-being, and free expression.
Presented by Artists at Risk Connection and Art at a Time Like This.
Monday, April 29, 2024
7:00 PM
The Comedy Store (Main Room)
8433 Sunset Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90069
SECOND ANNUAL “STAND-UP” FOR FREE SPEECH COMEDY BENEFIT
Join board member and host Judy Gold along with Marc Maron, Greg Fitzsimmons, Dulcé Sloan, Lisa Ann Walter, and more for STAND-UP FOR FREE SPEECH at the world-famous Comedy Store in Los Angeles, to raise funds for the National Coalition Against Censorship.
Saturday, April 27, 2024
3:00 PM – 6:00 PM EDT
Amant (Géza),
306 Maujer St., Brooklyn, NY 11206
RSVP Required
Silencing: An Assembly on Censorship with Elizabeth Larison, Che Gossett, Gavilán Rayna Russom, Salil Tripathi, Saw Wai
On the occasion of Shilpa Gupta’s exhibition, I did not tell you what I saw, but only what I dreamt, Amant hosts an afternoon of poetry, lectures, and performances that brings friends, artists, and scholars together to delve into historical and contemporary understandings of silencing through censorship.
In keeping with the motivation of Shilpa Gupta’s sound installation For, In Your Tongue, I Cannot Fit (2017-18) currently on view at Amant, which comprises a set of one hundred names of poets who have been incarcerated from the past and present, this assembly presents a series of provocations on censorship in its many manifestations.
Silencing: An Assembly on Censorship features responses from Elizabeth Larison, the director of the Arts and Culture Advocacy Program at the National Coalition Against Censorship; Che Gossett, a trans femme writer, scholar, and archivist; Gavilán Rayna Russom, an artist, composer, and scholar; Salil Tripathi, an Indian author and editor and Chair of PEN International’s Writers in Prison Committee; and Saw Wai, a Burmese poet, performance artist, and political activist, whose poems and remarks criticizing Myanmar’s military have resulted in his imprisonment. This event is moderated by Patricia Margarita Hernández.
This is a free event, but registration is required.
Saturday, Feb 25, 2024 05:00 PM
Defending Student Press Freedom
A Conversation with High School Students to celebrate Student Free Press Day 2024
This virtual event features student leaders from NCAC’s Student Advocates for Speech and Student Press Law Center’s New Voices programs! Join students for a conversation about the value of student journalists and their role in shaping civic culture in their schools and communities in an election year.
Participation is free for all high school students. Registration is required.
Saturday, February 3, 2024
6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Expression and Power
“Expression and Power,” a panel presented by A.I.R. Gallery and the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) in conjunction with “CURRENTS: Free Expression and the Inexpressible”!
This panel brings together three artists from the 2024 CURRENTS exhibition, Avram Finkelstein, Viva Ruiz, and Asia Stewart, as well as NCAC’s Arts & Culture Advocacy Program Director Elizabeth Larison and exhibition curator Aliza Shvarts, to discuss censorship as well as the state-mandated silencing, medically enabled violence, cultural gatekeeping, and mediatized overexposure that circumscribes what we can and cannot express.
Monday, November 15, 2023
Creative Capital
15 Maiden Ln, 18th Floor
New York, NY
10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
5th ANNUAL CURATORIAL WORKSHOP
On curating difficult content: Reconciling an ethics of care with artistic freedom
In partnership with Creative Capital, NCAC’s Arts & Culture Advocacy Program presents its 5th Curatorial Workshop to address pressing issues facing curators today. Bringing together leaders in the field and early and mid-career curators, the workshop will address the increasing pressures upon curators and art institutions to balance an ethics of care while supporting the artists they work with.
Monday, November 13, 2023
Tribeca Rooftop, 2 Desbrosses Street
New York, New York
6 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. ET
LET ME SPEAK
A Celebration and Benefit of Free Speech and its Defenders, presented by Macmillan Publishers
Each year NCAC recognizes the notable contributions of Free Speech Defenders whose activism has had a profound impact on the protection of First Amendment rights.
Join us on November 13, 2023, at Tribeca Rooftop, 2 Desbrosses Street, New York, New York, from 6 – 9:30 p.m. ET, as NCAC honors this year’s Free Speech Defenders. For information regarding tickets and sponsorship opportunities, please contact NCAC’s Chief Strategy and Development Officer, Josh Corday, at [email protected].
Monday, November 6, 2023
Gotham Comedy Club
208 W 23rd Street
New York, New York
9:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. ET
FIRST ANNUAL “STAND-UP” FOR FREE SPEECH COMEDY BENEFIT
Join Judy Gold, Dave Attell, Sam Morril, Mark Normand, Adrienne Iapalucci, Yamaneika Saunders, Matteo Lane, Rich Vos & more to for STAND UP FOR FREE SPEECH to raise funds for the National Coalition Against Censorship. NCAC’s Mission: We envision an American society that understands, values, defends, and vigorously exercises free expression in a just, egalitarian, diverse, and inclusive democracy.
Thursday, June 15, 2023
New York City
Various Locations
DAY OF ACTION
In support of Don’t Delete Art’s Manifesto Campaign
Don’t Delete Art (DDA)—a collaborative initiative uniting advocacy groups and artists in the defense of artistic freedom online—will lead A Day of Action on June 15, 2023 in New York City and on social media. The actions are an extension of the DDA Manifesto campaign, which urges social media companies to update their content moderation policies to integrate artistic perspectives.
Activities will be documented on Instagram at @dontdelete.art and include:
- New York City: Beginning at 11 a.m., DDA members will pass out stickers and Manifesto flyers outside major museums and educational institutions, calling on artists, curators, members of the general public, and leading cultural institutions to join the movement. Supporters are welcome to stop by to pick up campaign materials and sign the Manifesto.
- Artists on social media platforms are invited to use the DDA Giphy digital sticker to “censor” posts of their artwork to heighten the visibility of self-censorship among artists, who often do this in order for their posts to be favored by platform algorithms. For more information about how to find and use the sticker, stay tuned to the Don’t Delete Art Instagram account @dontdeleteart, and visit their Day of Action page.
Follow Don’t Delete Art on Instagram @dontdelete.art to track event activities.
Tuesday, February 21, 2023
8 p.m. – 9:15 p.m. ET
**LIVE Web Event**
Fighting for Press Freedom: How to be an Advocate for Student Journalism
The National Coalition Against Censorship’s Student Advocates for Speech Project and the Student Press Law Center (SPLC) invite you to a live online discussion: “Fighting for Press Freedom: How to be an Advocate for Student Journalism.”
Join teens that are active in fighting press censorship in their high schools and student activists working with SPLC to advocate for New Voices bills. The webinar will feature Rachel Oswald, a foreign policy reporter with CQ Roll Call , who will discuss the value of a free press and the need to advocate for press freedom.
Participation is free, but registration is required.
Wednesday, November 30, 2022
8 pm – 9:30 p.m. EST
LIVE Web Event
Are You Free to Read What You Want?
NCAC and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators hosted a live virtual discussion: Are You Free to Read What You Want? A conversation between students and Banned Authors. Click Here to watch the whole conversation!
Tuesday, November 15, 2022
7:30 pm ET
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
A Celebration of Free Speech and Its Defenders: NCAC Annual Benefit
On November 15, 2022, NCAC will honor free speech defenders Colin Kaepernick, George M. Johnson, Michael Bamberger, Edha Gupta, Martha Hickson. Aryeh Neier will receive the Judy Blume Lifetime Achievement Award and Phil Harvey will receive the Leanne G Katz Founder’s Award (in memoriam). Event information here.
Monday, February 28, 2022
8:00 pm – 9:30 pm ET
How to Fight Book Bans: Student Strategies
On February 28, 2022, NCAC and CBLDF hosted an interactive session to discuss the attacks on books in schools and share strategies for defending the right to read and fighting censorship in schools. Click here to watch the event.
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
7:00 pm – 8:15 pm EST
Let Me Speak 2021 Annual Benefit
On November 10th, we hosted our annual Celebration of Free Speech & Its Defenders! Click here to watch the event. Thank you so much to all of our incredible honorees and participants!
Tuesday, June 15, 2021
12:30 pm – 1:45 pm EST
Virtual Luncheon: Have We Gone Too Far In Protecting Free Speech?
NCAC presents leading voices in free speech discussing how free speech protections have shaped our lives and whether that protection strengthens or harms democracy–and society–in our current world. One of America’s preeminent free speech trial attorneys, Martin Garbus, joins Harvard Law School Professor Randall Kennedy in conversation, moderated by Professor Emily Knox. Click here to view the conversation.
Thursday, May 13, 2021
10:00 am EST
Conversations on Censorship: Workshop on Race (for members of the National Council of Teachers of English)
On May 13th, NCAC facilitated a workshop for NCTE members on issues of censorship related to race. Participants exchanged expertise in a peer-to-peer format, and conversations will be entirely confidential. The workshop began with an introduction by Gordon Danning from the National Coalition against Censorship (NCAC), an overview of NCAC and NCTE resources, current cases, and important information for educators dealing with issues of censorship focused on race. Participants brought their own experiences, concerns, and/or case studies to discuss all aspects of censorship cases, from planning to challenge to resolution.
Tuesday, February 27, 2021
3:00 pm – 4:30 pm EST
How to Tell A Story in a Minute: A Free Filmmaking & Free Expression Workshop
On February 27th, NYFA faculty taught a free workshop on How To Tell A Story In A Minute with tips for filmmaking at home and National Coalition Against Censorship discussed students’ free expression rights to launch the 2021 Youth Free Expression Film Contest.
Tuesday, February 16, 2021
12:30 pm – 2:00 pm EST
Virtual Luncheon: Resolving Tensions over Race and Representation in Public Art
This discussion explores the various approaches to resolving tensions around challenged murals and public art, including shrouding or relocating artworks, commissioning new works, innovative course offerings, and public programs. Our participants examine the context and outcomes in a select number of cases. Click here to view the virtual luncheon.
Wednesday, November 11, 2020
6:30 pm – 7:30 pm EST
Let Me Speak 2020 Annual Benefit
We sincerely appreciate all of the organizations and individuals who participated in the 2020 Benefit and helped NCAC continue to fight censorship and promote free expression! A special thank you to Harper Collins, Donna Bray, VU Galleries, Elise Newman Events, Kathy Brew, each of our sponsors, as well as our honorees for their work on free speech.