Announcing a good ol’ fashioned Teach-In in Washington, DC on Sunday, October 26th. We’ll convene for a series of lectures, stories, and conversations to celebrate and stand up for the work of history and museums. Shoutout to @natedimeo.bsky.social for bringing this idea to us. See you in DC!

The way this lady flips her hair aside as she blithely insists there was an "overemphasis on slavery" at the Smithsonian is a perfect little touch. But more important -- museums aren't there to make you feel good. You're thinking of an "amusement park." The words look a little alike, I guess.

I need help getting this CRAZY censorship story out! Last week, admins in Leander ISD emailed teachers telling them to “pause” use of 40 books relating to “DEI” that had previously been curriculum or choice reading activities. Included on the list? To Kill a Mockingbird. #bookbans #booksky

Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters announced he would step down from his controversial tenure to serve as the head of the conservative group Teacher Freedom Alliance, announcing, "We're going to destroy the teachers' unions." nbcnews.to/42Mufk4

This software is used in approximately 1500 school districts according to this story. An important and frightening story.

Incredible talk here at the #UNGA80 #indoorair call to action from our very own Violet Affleck! Reminding us that #longcovid affects all of us, the #covid19 pandemic is ongoing and we have failed to protect our children. Thank you, Violet, for speaking the truth to this room 🙏🏻

‘Still Connected': How This School Supports a Student in Immigration Detention www.edweek.org/teaching-lea...

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, a Republican, urges public schools to fire teachers who engage in "callous, crude, and controversial" speech about Charlie Kirk, declaring that such speech is unprotected by the First Amendment. Here's the full letter: image.subscription.in.gov/lib/fe2e1174...

"Autism experts at the CDC were neither consulted for the White House’s long-awaited autism announcement nor asked to review a draft of the findings and recommendations, CDC scientists told @kffhealthnews.org" Always read @amymaxmen.bsky.social: kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

OPINION: "There is no stopping Kennedy and Trump from spreading misinformation. But the science does not support their claims." — The Inquirer Editorial Board

Some takeaways from ABC/Disney backtracking on Kimmel: 1) Corps only care about $$ SCOTUS says money is speech. So use your voice! Boycotts work. Collective action works! 2) A huge amount of energy went into helping Kimmel. We need that same energy for book bans & attacks on marginalized creators.

"As Martha Hickson, a librarian in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, says, “When they go after the books, what they’re really going after is those kids who come into my library for a safe space, and I can’t abide by that.”

Historians and citizens who say they are concerned about the Trump administration's pressure on the Smithsonian are working to document exhibits, as they exist today, throughout the museum network. n.pr/3Kdrsdy

Apropos of nothing here in the land of the free: Taliban bans books written by women related to sexual harassment and human rights, 18 courses including gender and development, women's sociology, women's role in communication, and journalism also banned. www.bhaskarenglish.in/internationa...

@georgetakei.bsky.social is the 2025 Honorary Chair of #BannedBooksWeek (Oct 5–11), joined by youth advocate Iris Mogul. Together they’ll spotlight the harms of censorship. https://www.ala.org/news/2025/09/legendary-actorauthoractivist-george-takei-named-honorary-chair-banned-books-week-2025

The @washingtonpost.com story on Tylenol & autism leaves out a MAJOR 2.5M sibling-controlled study of children in Denmark, which "found no evidence that acetaminophen use during pregnancy was associated with children’s risk of autism, ADHD or intellectual disability." jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

The Trump-Vance administration is threatening public education across the nation. Drew Vaughn, a Florida PTA board member, joined CEO @skyeperryman.bsky.social to discuss how we’re helping parents, educators, and unions fight back – and win – in court.

No, we do not. We have to actually stand for something. And communicate it effectively. Then go out and persuade non-voters to vote and to vote for the things we stand for.

“In the Pentagon press room, there’s a wall of photographs under metal lettering that reads ‘Pentagon Correspondents’ with the faces of the men and women who cover the Defense Department for major news outlets. “On Friday, all 30 slots for photographs were empty.”

We’re fighting back against Trump & Hegseth’s Orwellian censorship crackdowns. My legislation with @houlahan.house.gov restores banned books to schools for children of our servicemembers, protecting students’ right to read, think and read.

The Stop Censoring Military Families Act would restore all books removed from Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) schools by the Trump Administration and protect school curricula from political changes.

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON This is in suburban Chicago. That woman is a congressional candidate. @katmabu.bsky.social And those weapons? COME ON. WHAT THE F*CK

Another great resource for you! 5 activists from around the country give a masterclass on freedom to read advocacy www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjVX...

IT'S OFFICIAL: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York State, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and New York City have formed the Northeast Public Health Collaborative. The collaborative will issue their own vaccine recommendations and coordinate public health efforts.

CALL TO ACTION! During one of our meetings this week with a House Dem, who shall remain nameless, the idea that "DEI research doesn't save anyone's life" was espoused. My team was *flabbergasted* by this assertion. PLEASE DROP YOUR PEER REVIEWED WORKS OF "DEI" SAVING LIVES HERE SO WE CAN SHARE!

No - this is not the latest satirical headline at @theonion.com This is reality for the 49,000+ students who attend Lamar Consolidated ISD schools. www.txftrp.org/pinkalicious...

Feds threaten Chicago Public Schools magnet school grants over Black Student Success Plan, treatment of trans students @wbez.org

A free and democratic society cannot silence comedians because the President doesn’t like what they say. This is an attack on free speech and cannot be allowed to stand. All elected officials need to speak up and push back on this undemocratic act.

NIH’s RECOVER study found vaccines reduce risk of kids getting a chronic illness from Covid by 61%, but only for the first six months—by 18 months protection was down to 11% “so getting the vaccine every year is important to prevent Long COVID.” recovercovid.org/publications...

For decades, #MediaLiteracy educators have been teaching about media ownership, so... 1) Important to continue that tradition, now more than ever; and 2) Support a media literacy education org/project/teacher - they have tools to help students understand why the current consolidation matters. 🍎

"Independent advisers for the CDC plan to revisit recommendations for Covid shots as well as vaccines for measles and hepatitis B." This is a potentially momentous set of recommendations. Expect the 'findings' to be fraught with disinformation.

Other federal K-12 grants canceled in recent weeks: -nine for arts ed. -two for literacy ed. -19 for history/civics ed. -17 for special ed. teacher training -four for supporting students who are deaf and blind -three for supporting parents of children with disabilities www.edweek.org/policy-polit...

🎉📜 Happy Constitution Day! 📜🎉 Today we celebrate the freedoms enshrined in the Constitution… including the freedom to read. And what better way than with TWO big launches? ✨ Our free workbook ✨ Our new webinar www.freedomtoreadproject.org/turning_the_...

On July 4, Nory Sontay Ramos and her mother, Estela Ramos Baten, were deported from Los Angeles to Guatemala. On September 8, Estela died of complications related to liver cirrhosis. She was 45. Her family says that after her deportation, she did not have access to the medication she needed.

Call to action for Alabama! Leave a public comment on a truly terrible proposal that would ban "positive descriptions" of trans people in libraries. www.erininthemorning.com/p/positive-d...

Oklahoma Supreme Court temporarily put on hold proposed new social studies standards for K-12 public school students that include conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.

"Sotomayor bemoaned the lack of education about such issues as the rule of law, saying not enough people have a basic understanding of the power of the president and the limits imposed upon that authority by the Constitution." www.nbcnews.com/politics/sup...

Augusta Baker: The Legendary Children’s Librarian of Harlem | JSTOR Daily

Hundreds of students have left Chelsea public schools this year, as families exit a community — and a state — that’s become a prime target for immigration enforcement.

NEW: Recently we reported on L.A. honor student and track star Nory Sontay Ramos and her mom Estela, deported after a routine immigration check-in. Weeks after we met them in Guatemala, where they were in hiding, Estela died suddenly. www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/d...

Cynthia Rehberg, a school teacher in WI, was falsely targeted after right wingers claimed she made comments about Kirk. But she hadn't. Her school received 800 voicemails, some including death threats. "She didn't do anything, she didn't do anything wrong," said the district's superintendent

“Ideological actors, trolls, propagandists, people who are looking to divide Americans, to push misinformation, are all going to jump into the void of that curiosity gap where an event has happened, & everyone wants more details than are available.” - @peteradams.bsky.social @edweek.org story ⤵️

Did you sweat through your clothes, burst into tears for no reason or want to scream at someone for chewing too loudly today? We’ve got a newsletter for you. Sign up for The 19th’s new newsletter all about perimenopause, menopause and the cultural experience of navigating middle age.

Some personal news: I've been fired from the Washington Post in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk shooting. Thread incoming. substack.com/@karenattiah...

Grassroots Greats: Several of my personal heroes — Laney Hawes, Stephana Ferrell, John Norcross, SEAT, & DAYLO — are spotlighted here. Librarians can’t fight censorship alone. Join the community groups in your area or start one.

The Trump administration is ending the 50-year war on cancer. “It’s an absolutely unmitigated disaster. It will take decades to recover from this, if we ever do.” www.nytimes.com/2025/09/14/m...

The Dept. of Education has pulled funding for programs in 8 states that support students with both hearing and vision loss. A staffer at one program says he was told the Trump admin. took issue with 2 words on the grant application: “transition" and “privilege": www.propublica.org/article/trum...

Red flag in this wasteful move: a USAID spox falsely claimed that birth control pills, IUDs, and arm implants cause abortions. “The administration will no longer supply abortifacient birth control under the guise of foreign aid.” 🚩🚩🚩

The bishop advised Catholics considering joining ICE that “you can never attempt to turn off your conscience.”

While the four girls killed in the Sixteenth Baptist Church bombing are well known, stories of Virgil Ware & Johnnie Robinson, who were killed the same day, have remained largely untold. Historians have formed a new institute to tell their stories & more. www.al.com/news/birming...