Articles, Documents, Statements on Opposition to the Right-Wing Culture Wars
Key Statements and Calls
African American Policy Forum (AAPF), “A Call to Action,” https://www.aapf.org/truthbetold-call-to-action
PEN America, “Educational Gag Orders” (statement, analysis, history), https://pen.org/report/educational-gag-orders/
PEN America Warns: Educational Gag Orders Spreading to Higher Education, https://academeblog.org/2022/02/01/pen-america-warns-educational-gag-orders-spreading-to-higher-education/
Academic, Professional, Intellectual Groups
American Anthropological Association, “Anti-Racism and Social Justice,” https://www.americananthro.org/mpaac#AntiRacism
Academic Freedom Alliance (AFA)
- Academic Freedom Alliance (AFA), website https://academicfreedom.org/
- “US scholars form Academic Freedom Alliance to defend free expression,” Guardian, March 8, 2921, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/08/academic-freedom-alliance-college-university-free-speech
American Association of University Professors (AAUP)
- “Statement on Legislation Restricting Teaching about Race,” https://www.aaup.org/news/statement-legislation-restricting-teaching-about-race#.Yd88ZP7MJPY
- “Critical Race Theory and the Assault on Antiracist Thinking,” Rana Jaleel, https://www.aaup.org/article/critical-race-theory-and-assault-antiracist-thinking#.Yd88v_7MJPY
- “AAUP Files Brief Condemning Political Attacks on Teaching About Race and Racial Justice in Texas,” https://www.aaup.org/news/aaup-files-brief-condemning-political-attacks-teaching-about-race-and-racial-justice-texas#.Yd89dP7MJPY
American Historical Association (AHA)
- ”Trust the Teachers,” David W. Blight, Atlantic, November 22, 2021–The AHA and the Learn from History Coalition, of which the AHA is a founding member, were featured in this article by AHA member David W. Blight https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/11/what-parents-dont-understand-about-teaching-history/620770/
- AHA Exec. Dir quoted in Wash. Times PEN America Report https://www.historians.org/news-and-advocacy/aha-executive-director-quoted-in-washington-times-article-on-pen-america-report-(november-2021)
- AHA pres. and exec. dir. op-ed in The Hill, Oct. 21, 2021
https://www.historians.org/news-and-advocacy/aha-president-and-executive-director-publish-op-ed-on-divisive-concepts-legislation-(october-2021); here is the op-ed: “State laws are corrupting the study of history by forcing ‘opposing viewpoints’ in the classroom” https://thehill.com/opinion/education/577464-state-laws-are-corrupting-the-study-of-history-by-forcing-opposing?rnd=1634679469&rl=1d
- AHA Grossman and Jeremy C. Young w. art in The Hill July 2021
https://www.historians.org/news-and-advocacy/aha-staff-members-publish-article-on-divisive-concepts-bills-(july-2021); here is the article: “To understand the history wars, follow the paper trail,” https://thehill.com/opinion/education/561549-to-understand-the-history-wars-follow-the-paper-trail
Later this summer, the findings of a recent national survey of “people’s understandings and uses of the past” will be released on the AHA website. head of the release of the full results, various media outlets have published articles on the survey, including History News Network; WCCO radio; the Milwaukee Independent; and two articles in Time, “The Split in How Americans Think About Our Collective Past Is Real—But There’s a Way Out of the ‘History Wars’,” and “‘Critical Race Theory Is Simply the Latest Bogeyman.’ Inside the Fight Over What Kids Learn About America’s History.”
- “Teachers across the country protest laws restricting lessons on racism,” Washington Post, June 12,2020 https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/06/12/teachers-protest-laws-restricting-antiracism-lessons-in-school/
American Bar Association
- “A Lesson on Critical Race Theory,” Janel George https://www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/publications/human_rights_magazine_home/civil-rights-reimagining-policing/a-lesson-on-critical-race-theory/
Authors Guild
- “Join Us to Stop Book Banning. “ The Author’s Guild, December 3, 2021, https://www.authorsguild.org/industry-advocacy/join-us-to-stop-book-banning/
Learn from History Coalition—“collectively representing millions of parents, educators, students, and other Americans of goodwill,” https://learnfromhistory.org/
LegiScan
- National legislative search about “critical race theory” https://legiscan.com/gaits/search?state=ALL&keyword=%22critical+race+theory%22
PEN America
- “Educational Gag Orders” (statement, analysis, history), https://pen.org/report/educational-gag-orders/;
- “Free Expression and Education,” issue of PEN America, https://pen.org/issue/free-expression-and-education/
- Pen Campus Free Speech Guide, https://campusfreespeechguide.pen.org/; https://pen.org/free-speech-advocacy-institute/, https://pen.org/campaign/banned-books-week-2021/
- Pen Banned Books Week, https://pen.org/campaign/banned-books-week-2021/
https://pen.org/campaign/banned-books-week-2021/
Zinn Project
“Right-Wing Campaign to Block Teaching for Social Justice,”
https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/gop-campaign-to-block-teaching-for-social-justice/
Academic and Educational Labor
American Federation of Teachers (AFT)–national, locals, state organizations
- “Randi Weingarten Rips CRT Critics for ‘Trying to Stop Us From Teaching Students Accurate History,’” John Nichols, https://www.thenation.com/article/society/critical-race-theory-teachers/
- “AFT and FEA Leaders Criticize Florida Ban on Teaching About Systemic Racism” [Press Release, June 11, 2021], AFT, https://www.aft.org/press-release/aft-and-fea-leaders-criticize-florida-ban-teaching-about-systemic-racism.
AAUP—see above under “Academic, Professional, Intellectual Groups”
Bargaining for the Common Good
- “The Bargaining for the Common Good Network is made up of unions, community groups, racial justice organizations and student organizations that work together as equal partners to win bigger and broader demands at the bargaining table and in the streets”
https://www.bargainingforthecommongood.org/
National Center for Collective Bargaining in Higher Education
http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/ncscbhep
National Education Association (NEA)
- NEA Edjustice, https://neaedjustice.org/ ; see especially Issues & Actions (https://neaedjustice.org/take-action/ ) and Resources (https://neaedjustice.org/resources/ )
- “NEA Guide for Racial Justice in Education,” Alan Singer, Daily Kos, https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/12/19/2070166/-NEA-Guide-for-Racial-Justice-in-Education?_=2021-12-19T16:15:59.000-08:00
NYSUT, NY State affiliate of AFT and NEA
- “Getting the Facts about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion,” Kara Smith, NYSUT United, November-December 2021, p.11 https://www.nysut.org/~/media/files/nysut/nysut-united/2021/nysutunited_november2021.pdf
Some Articles on teachers’ unions
“Teachers’ Unions Vow to Defend Members in Critical Race Theory Fight,” Education Week
- By Madeline Will — July 06, 2021, https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/teachers-unions-vow-to-defend-members-in-critical-race-theory-fight/2021/07
- ”Teacher unions push back on debate over critical race theory,” Juan Perez Jr, 07/06/2021, Politico, https://www.politico.com/newsletters/weekly-education/2021/07/06/teacher-unions-push-back-on-debate-over-critical-race-theory-796311
Social and Racial Justice Advocacy Groups
African American Policy Forum (AAPF)
- Website https://www.aapf.org/
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU
- “School Is For Learning—Including About Race and Gender” (background reports on cases), https://www.aclu.org/news/free-speech/school-is-for-learning-including-learning-about-race-and-gender
Color of Change, “the nation’s largest online racial justice organization”
- “Black History is U.S. History: Organize For Training Series,” https://colorofchange.org/about/
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
- NAACP on Critical Race Theory, https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=NAACP+critical+race+theory&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart
- Critical Race Theory FAQ, https://www.naacpldf.org › critical-race-theory-faq
- Civil Rights Groups Urged The Government For Consistency Sep 2, 2021, https://www.naacpldf.org › News/PR/Press
- The NAACP Condemns Anti-Critical Race Theory Bills and … Dec 6, 2021, https://naacp.org/articles/naacp-condemns-anti-critical-race-theory-bills-and-calls-teaching-about-american-slavery
- About Critical Race Theory – NAACP Culpeper #7058, Jul 13, 2021, https://naacpculpeper.org › News
Scholars for Social Justice, https://scholarsforsocialjustice.com/
HPAD Sanctions Syllabus, https://www.historiansforpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Empire-of-Sanctions-Syllabus.pdf
Renate Bridenthal, Molly Nolan and Prasannan Parthasarathi from HPad’s Empire Working Group have drafted a syllabus on economic sanctions–their forms, legality, and effectiveness, their history across the twentieth century and their current deployment, as well as blowback from and resistance to them. The syllabus can be used in whole or individual weeks or parts can be selected. All materials are readily available online.
Updated 2/24/2022