In recent years, there has been an overwhelming push toward the erasure of important aspects of American history when it comes to issues of race and identity from school curricula across the country.

Since 2021, 44 states have introduced bills or taken steps toward restricting the teaching of so-called critical race theory (CRT), banning books, and or censoring the ways in which race can be discussed in classrooms. These unwarranted bills prevent schools from proactively teaching the root causes of systemic racism, tie the hands of teachers rather than support them, and hold students back from grappling with and helping to solve real challenges facing our society. And the threats continue.

By not teaching students the imperfect history of our country, we are failing to prepare them to be problem solvers and effective citizens in a multicultural society. Students need edification, not indoctrination — and America’s brutal truths cannot be swept under the rug in place of rosy fairy tales.

We are focused on taking a stand against the threats waged on schools and educators who dare to teach true American history in classrooms. Our campaign, “Can’t Be Erased” (#CantBeErased) highlights the importance of the various banned books by Black, LGBTQ+, and Latino authors, and how a continuous move towards repression is ultimately regressive education.

We’ve compiled a list of reading materials and resources that are useful in the fight against censorship. Take a deeper dive below.