Friend –

It is egregious that, in a democracy like the United States, books are still being banned. But efforts to rewrite history and censor the right to free speech in school goes far deeper than limiting what people are allowed to read.

Across the country, lawmakers are attempting to censor school lessons about race, racism, sexuality, and gender in schools. This is part of a blatant attempt to halt any progress toward racial justice and prevent students from learning about marginalized communities.

As a former high school history teacher, I can't imagine not adequately covering important aspects of American history, like the civil rights movement or slavery. Imagine being a student who can't even mention LGBTQ identities in class or talk about racial violence today.

During the several years that the legal team and I have been fighting against these ever-increasingly devious and dangerous classroom censorship laws, we have learned that demanding that all students receive a fair and inclusive education is the only way to ensure our history is not entirely erased and the next generation is not denied their right to learn.

So how do we accomplish this? How can we win this fight for everyone's right to learn freely, fairly, and without censorship? Please read my latest piece and get up-to-speed on exactly how we can show up together in this work.

Leah Watson
Pronouns: She, her, hers
Attorney fighting for racial justice and free speech