The National Coalition Against Censorship is a left-of-center advocacy group that challenges alleged censorship in education, arts, and media. It intervenes in disputes over book removals, artistic displays, and student expression, often aligning with broader left-of-center efforts to protect content addressing race, gender, and sexuality against conservative-led restrictions. The coalition was formed in the 1970s in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling on obscenity and comprises 50 member organizations from literary, artistic, and civil liberties sectors, most of which are left-of-center or far-left advocacy groups and labor unions. Members of the coalition include the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Federation of Teachers, and the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. ^{1 2}

Background and History

The National Coalition Against Censorship was founded in 1974 by activists affiliated with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in response to the Supreme Court’s Miller v. California decision, which “narrowed First Amendment protections for sexual expression and spurred obscenity prosecutions.” Initially focused on obscenity laws and artistic freedom, the group evolved to address a broader range topics, including school-level book challenges and online speech restrictions. The group has also expanded from direct legal aid to nationwide advocacy, responding to issues including post-9/11 surveillance and content removals in libraries. Leanne G. Katz, an early leader, is honored by the group through a founder’s award that memorializes her role in establishing the coalition’s structure. ^{1 3}

Activities

The National Coalition Against Censorship operates through direct intervention, producing toolkits and hotlines for educators facing book challenges, such as its Book Challenge Crisis Hotline and Responding to Book Challenges handbook. It runs the Youth Free Expression Program, offering lesson plans on protest rights and hate speech, and the Arts and Culture Advocacy Program, which supports curators with guides like Smart Tactics for handling controversial exhibits. Major initiatives as of 2025 include the Right to Read campaign, which mobilizes communities against library removals, and annual events like the Stand-Up for Free Speech Comedy Benefit to fund anti-censorship efforts. The group also maintains databases tracking censorship incidents and facilitates dialogues between conflicting parties. ^{4 5}

The coalition engages in litigation support, filing amicus briefs in cases such as American Amusement Machine v. Kendrick regarding video game speech and Schwarzenegger v. Entertainment Merchants Association which challenged youth protections. It has led advocacy campaigns, such as the 2025 anti-censorship public education effort targeting legislators on book removals and has organized the National Campaign for Freedom of Expression since 1990 to aid artists “facing suppression.” ^{6 7}

In October 2025, the National Coalition Against Censorship joined the College Art Association in a letter to Pepperdine University protesting the removal of artworks deemed politically sensitive, highlighting threats to academic freedom. Earlier that month, it co-signed a statement with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and the Student Press Law Center (SPLC) condemning the Institute of American Indian Arts for allegedly suppressing student speech. ^{8 8}

Policy Stances

The National Coalition Against Censorship advocates for unrestricted access to information, opposing measures it describes as ideologically driven censorship, such as state laws restricting discussions of race or LGBT topics in schools. It has criticized “divisive concepts” bans as violations of First Amendment viewpoint neutrality and supported attempts to challenge internet filters in libraries. The group further claims that some of its member organizations “reject all barriers abridging access to any material, however controversial or even abhorrent to some,” while others “reject barriers for adults, so long as their individual right of choice is not infringed.” ⁹

Funding

The National Coalition Against Censorship relies on contributions from foundations and individual donors. In 2023, it received $210,000 from the Dayton Foundation for its Right to Read Network and $75,000 from the Andy Warhol Foundation for its Arts Advocacy Project over multiple years. Other significant support that year included $76,275 from the PayPal Giving Fund. The Coalition has also received support from the Ford Foundation. ^{10 4}

Members

Members of the National Coalition Against Censorship as of 2025 included the American Association of University Professors, the American Library Association, the American Federation of Teachers, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Catholics for Choice, Lambda Legal, Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS), and SAG-AFTRA. ²

Leadership

As of 2025, Lee Rowland was serving as executive director of the National Coalition Against Censorship. She previously worked at the Brennan Center for Justice and the New York Civil Liberties Union, where she litigated cases on public employee speech and digital regulation. She has authored briefs on obscenity and student rights and teaches at the New York University School of Law. ¹¹

1. “About Us.” National Coalition Against Censorship. Accessed November 20, 2025. https://ncac.org/about-us
2. “Coalition.” National Coalition Against Censorship. Accessed November 20, 2025. https://ncac.org/about-us/coalition
3. “Katz Founder Award. National Coalition Against Censorship. Accessed November 20, 2025. https://ncac.org/about-us/events/benefit-2022/katzfounderaward
4. “Resources.” National Coalition Against Censorship. Accessed November 20, 2025. https://ncac.org/resources
5. “Non-Partisan Coalition Statement Opposing “Divisive Concepts” Legislation.” National Coalition Against Censorship. Accessed November 20, 2025. https://ncac.org/news/divisive-concepts-statement-2021
6. “NCAC opposes book bans at Benton School District in Arkansas.” National Coalition Against Censorship. Accessed November 20, 2025. https://ncac.org/news/ncac-opposes-book-bans-at-benton-school-district-in-arkansas
7. “The National Campaign for Freedom of Expression.” National Coalition Against Censorship. Accessed November 26, 2025. https://ncac.org/resource/the-national-campaign-for-freedom-of-expression
8. “NCAC Joins FIRE, SPJ, and SPLC in Calling Out Institute of American Indian Arts Over Free Speech Violation.” National Coalition Against Censorship. Accessed November 20, 2025. https://www.collegeart.org/news/2025/10/27/caa-and-the-national-coalition-against-censorship-release-joint-letter-to-the-president-of-pepperdine-university/
9. “Guidelines for Participating Organizations.” National Coalition Against Censorship. Accessed November 20, 2025. https://ncac.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Guidelines-for-Participating-Organizations.pdf
10. “National Coalition Against Censorship.” Cause IQ. Accessed November 20, 2025. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/national-coalition-against-censorship,133197949/
11. “Staff.” National Coalition Against Censorship. Accessed November 20, 2025. https://ncac.org/about-us/staff