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By the African American Policy Forum
Civil rights leaders such as Rev. Al Sharpton are teaming up with LGBTQ groups, students, teachers, and leading scholars to fight back against the efforts waged by ultra conservatives such as Gov. Ron DeSantis and Moms for Liberty, warning that no community is safe from the national movement to purge books and lessons about race, gender and LGBTQ identity from schools.
The Freedom to Learn NYC rally will take place at 3 p.m. ET in front of the College Board National Headquarters, where they will make clear that the current assaults on Black history, Black voices, and Black lives are deeply connected and to fight back against the related “Don’t Say Gay” laws reshaping public education.
The event follows the recent revelations that the College Board lied about how and why it changed its Advanced Placement African American Studies curriculum — appeasing right-wing extremists at a time when a record number of books across the country are being targeted for censorship, and as teachers fear punishment under restrictive new laws.
Experts including Human Rights Watch warn that the growing assaults on books and classrooms violate fundamental rights and pose an urgent threat to the future of multiracial democracy in the US.
Today’s National Day of Action officially launches Freedom to Learn, designed to present a strong, unflinching counter force to the political extremists meddling in public education, threatening teachers, and banning the instruction of accurate history in classrooms nationwide.
Around 150 grassroots demonstrations are expected across the US and online under the hashtag #FreedomToLearn on May 3, and the pressure will increase through the 2024 presidential elections. Learn more at freedomtolearn.net