On the tenth anniversary of Howard Zinn's death, educator Bill Bigelow reflects on why Zinn's messages still resonate today. "It’s always worth dipping into the vast archive of Zinn scholarship, but as the United States flirts with another war in the Middle East, as the presidential campaign raises fundamental questions about the kind of country we will become, and as the world

Performance artist Kristina Wong and the kids of Radical Cram School have created a video about the life of activistGrace Lee Boggs...in their own words. It's lively, funny and inspirational! Radical Cram School is a web-basedseries where Asian American kids ages 6-12 explore the power of their identities, revolution, and social justice through puppets, community storytelling

Singer song-writer David Rovics has announced the release of his new album Strangers & Friends. "The Ongoing History of Protest Music" reviews the album enthusiastically: "Musically the album is a departure from his previous albumSongs For Today, which was one of thebest protest albums of 2019. That album was a solo acoustic album recorded in one day.

In the most recent edition of Slate's Political Gabfest, Emily Bazelon recommended AWWT posters as great inspirational gifts for kids. "So one of the super excellent presents my children received, luckily over this holiday was my sister Dana sent my son Simon a couple of small posters from an organization called Americans Who Tell the Truth.

Fellow Alabamian Margaret Renkl honors John Lewis in her recentNew York Times opinion piece. "From a sharecropper’s shack outside Troy, Ala., where as a young boy youpreached to the chickens, to the battlegrounds of the civil rights movement to the hallways of the federal government, you have been a moral compass for the nation and a voice for freedom and democracy in the world:

Catching up with wild man StephenRitz today. So much has happened with Green Bronx Machine since his AWTT portrait was unveiled.

David Marchese interviews Frances MooreLappé about the preservation of democracy. “I want to shift people away from thinking: Democracy, that’s for somebody else. That’s policy, wonky stuff,” said Lappé, who is 75 and whose most recent book, with Adam Eichen, is “Daring Democracy.” “It’s not.

AWTT portrait subjects Chelsea Manning, Coleen Rowley and Jesselyn Radack all have December birthdays, giving us the opportunity to reflect on their courageous lives. Of the three, most people have heard of Manning but not Rowley or Radack. But all three of these heroes risked their careers by telling the truth. They are know as whistleblowers.

In his Sunday NYT column, Charles Blow calls on Bree Newsome Bass to respond to Nikki Haley's revisionist history concerning the Confederate flag.  "Bass quite correctly saw Haley’s [statement] 'as part of the ongoing revisionist history that people continue to engage in around Confederate symbology.'

Environmental activist Diane Wilson on Tuesday celebrated the approval of a settlement with plastics giant Formosa Plastics Corp. that will see the company devote $50 million to remediating areas of the Texas Gulf Coast it polluted.

Today we celebrate and honor Pauli Murray and Robert F. Kennedy who were born on this day in 1910 and 1925 respectively. We remember them for their many accomplishments, including their contributions to the Civil Rights Movement and legacy as American truth tellers.

On Veterans Day we remember thosewho have served our country through military service, including these AWTT portrait subjects: Dwight D. Eisenhower, WW II Allied Commander, Supreme Commander ofNATO, and U.S.

As Paul Farmer turns 60 on Saturday, November 26, he is making news in the publishing world. The University of California Press is releasing this month the paperback version of his popular 2016 book To Repair the World: Paul Farmer Speaks to the Next Generation.

Calling all middle school teachers! We are excited to begin the 5th annual Samantha Smith Challenge program. Through this school-based program, we aspire to engage Maine middle school students in creating art that moves others to make the world a better place to live.Projects canincluded film, performance, visual art, poetry...you name it. There are no boxes.

The congregation at Glide Memorial Methodist Church, a ray of hope in the Tenderloin District for over 50 years, wished the church’s founder a very special happy birthday on Sunday morning. The morning’s services were even more colorful than usual as the choir arrived, happily wearing the signature dashiki robes that Rev.

As we mourn the loss of peaceactivist Frances Crowe, we need also to remember her wit and wisdom. On the occasion of her death, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has re-published its 2014 interview with her - worth reading and re-reading.

Thanks to the Writer's Almanac for this September 6, 2019 entry: "Today is the birthdayof American social reformerJane Addams(1860) (books by this author), who co-founded the Chicago settlement house, Hull-House, in 1889 when she was 29 years old. Addams was born into an affluent Quaker family in Cedarville, Illinois.

Labor Day. End of summer. Family gatherings. Picnics. County fairs.

We are excited to announce AWTT's first calendar - featuring Robert Shetterly portraits of 18 inspiring change makers. The calendar includes the last 6 months of 2019 and calendar year 2020.

"There is science, logic, reason; there is thought verified by experience," environmentalist writer Edward Abbey once said.

NBC 5 Chicago interviews LeAlan Jones about his run for the Senate as theGreen Party nominee. "LeAlan Jones has always been precocious. At 11, he was discussing the war in Iraq with a TV journalist, sitting on a South Side stoop and fiddling with a baseball mitt while opining, “Bush wants too much oil.” At 13, he made “Ghetto Life 101,” a documentary for WBEZ, following th

Amy Goodman interviews human rights lawyerJennifer Harbury about how our government's "zero tolerence" policy is punishing people who are fleeing crime in Central America and Mexico. "...that’s what this administration wants. We want to drive them home. We’ll take your kids. We’ll imprison you for years. We’ll make you sit on the bridge and die of heat stroke.

As part of the month-long AWTTIpswichevent, choreographerJanet Taisey Craft, along with dancers Jessie Boudreau, Jenny Carlson, Danielle DiVito, and Tabitha Rodger of the Ipswich Moving Company, created a set of performance pieces based on the courageous lives of four AWTT portrait subjects. Read full story in thelocalne.ws

Hannah Giorgis, staff writer for The Atlantic, covers Alicia Garza's recent address at the Aspen Institute. “I don’t want to give women a litmus test to [participate in] democracy. I may not agree with them. I don’t agree with a lot of the women that we work with, but I want them there and I want them to show up.

The 2018-19Samantha Smith Challenge saw over 300 Maine middle level students become engaged and active citizens. The climate crisis, gun violence, racism, the impact of cancer on families, hate language, and many other concerns surfaced as important topics for this year’s SSC students.

They're on a roll. Less that a month after their big day in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, the power team landeda major spread in People magazine. These youth know that they are now reaching deeply into middle America.

Denise Giardina's award-winning novelStorming Heavenhas been adapted for the musical stage and is currently showing at the West Virginia University Creative Arts Center. The story line centers on Carrie Bishop (Alison McCartan), the mine doctor’s nurse and sister of the mine superintendent, who finds herself unwittingly in the middle of a love triangle with Albion Freeman (Luke

May 14, 2019 - Eve Ensler's new book, The Apology, comes out today. "When Eve Ensler's father died, she knew the apology she had been waiting for her entire life would never come. Her father would never say sorry ― not for molesting her as a young girl, or for beating her when she got older. Not for demeaning or dehumanizing her.

Author Nathaniel Rich joins Juliana v. U.S. attorney Andrea Rodgers tonight, April 25, at 7:30 p.m. - a stop on Rich's Losing Earth book tour. "By 1979, we knew nearly everything we understand today about climate change – including how to stop it.

In case you missed Bill McKibben's April 16 interview on Fresh Air, it's worth a listen. His new book: Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?

Eva Paterson testified on April 9, 2019 at the House Judiciary Committee Hearing on Hate Crimes, White Nationalism, and White Supremacy

Catch up on Paul Chappell's current work with the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.

Marian Wright Edelman, founder an president emerita, of the Children's Defense Fund, continues her fight for children - that they may lead healthy, safe lives, freed from poverty and imbued with hope and aspiration.

The legendary peace activist Frances Crowe has turned 100. She was born on March 15, 1919. Frances has been arrested countless times protesting war, nuclear weapons and nuclear power. In 2005, Amy Goodman interviewed her onstage in Northampton, Massachusetts. She described how she became a peace activist on August 6, 1945—the day the U.S.

Don't miss Robert Koehler's insightful essay on the juxtaposition of hate crimes and fighting for the planet. "...In the past few days,two young survivorsof the Parkland shootings a year ago committed suicide; so did thefatherof a 6-year-old child who was murdered in 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School. And since 2008, more than 6,000 U.S.

Check out these Sun Journal photos ofRobert Shetterly's recent visit to the Auburn Middle School, where students are making podcasts on issues they care about: homelessness, teen vaping, animals left out in the cold, factory farming and using a helmet while skiing.

Today we commemorate Rachel Corrie, who was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer in Rafah on 16 March 2003, while undertaking nonviolent direct action to protect the home of a Palestinian family from demolition. Excerpt from Rachel’s emails to her mother (2003): "You asked me about non-violent resistance. "When that explosive detonated yesterday it broke all the window

Kathy Kelly, co-cordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, tirelessly continues her call for divestment. Inthis opinion piece, published by the Bainbridge Island Review, Kelly reflects on gun violence on the streets of Chicago and the killing of innocent people around the world with weapons built by U.S. companies. "Consider this: The 2018 U.S. Census Report tallies U.S.

Maine Coast Heritage Trust has announced that Keynote Speaker for this year's Land Conservation Conference will be Majora Carter. The advance billing for her address: Building Proud Communities When New York City wanted to bring 40% of its trash to her neighborhood in the South Bronx,Majora Carterpushed back.

Urban Faith magazine reports on Reverend Yearwood's recent testimony before the House Committee on Natural Resources. Yearwood: " Climate change is out lunch counter moment for the 21st century." UF's online article includes YouTube footage of the Reverend's House testimony, as well as a short interview with him about his spiritual roots and the future of the "Respect by Vote

Although the youth plaintiffs in federal court case Juliana v. U.S. lost a key procedural battle in late December, they are not slowing down.

Our current climate crisis and the actions needed to be taken will be the focus of Canadian author and activist Naomi Klein’s next book, to be published by Knopf Canada (a division of Penguin Random House Canada) in September.

AWTT's Robert Shetterly will be the evening keynote speaker at Washington & Jefferson College's Symposium on Democracy. Shetterly's topic will be "An Artist's Journey into History, Democracy, Power and Reality." An initiative of College President John C.

The son of an American woman of Dutch heritage and a Navajo man, Mark Charles offers a unique perspective on three of the most misinterpreted words in American History.

Our Children’s Future: A Portrait of Robert Shetterly is a documentary film about this political artist and activist, who has created theportrait seriesAmericans Who Tell the Truth: Models of Courageous Citizenship. One of Shetterly’s greatest contributions is how he models what Americans can do now to effect change. He gives us the confidence to act.

Just two weeks left to register for this year's Samantha Smith Challenge! The Samantha Smith Challenge is a dynamic educational program for Maine middle school students. Students will explore their identities in the classroom and the world as they become curious, courageous, and engaged citizens.

The REFORM Alliance aims to dramatically reduce the number of people living under unreasonable probation and parole sentences, and in turn, free people from the cycle of incarceration. Van Jones will serve as CEO.

The gap between rich and poor is fracturing society, poisoning politics and fueling public anger, according to a new report from anti-poverty nonprofit Oxfam, which found that last year just 26 people owned the same amount of wealth as the poorest 3.8 billion people. This figure is down from 43 the year before.

Martin Luther King Jr. courageously spoke out about the Vietnam War. We must do the same when it comes to this grave injustice of our time. “We must speak with all the humility that is appropriate to our limited vision, but we must speak,” the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Catching up with Lateefah Simon: Serving on BART Board of Directors (20016-2020), she is pitching the idea of using retired transit cars for housing.

In a recent opinion piece, Frances Moore Lappe argues that most news coverage we are seeing about the Yellow Vest movement is missing some major points and key lessons for Ameircans.

Ai-Jen Poo, the executive director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, walked the Globes carpet for the second time Sunday with Alfonso Cuaron.

We must move beyond the myth of the lone individual to recognize our deep interdependence and responsibilities for one another and nature.

On December 26, in a 2-1 decision, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted defendants’ petition for permission to bring an interlocutory appeal in Juliana v. United States, the landmark constitutional climate lawsuit brought by young Americans.

Freelance Journalist Frances Madeson interviews Dahr Jamail about his recent book: The End of Ice

Don't miss Michelle Alexander's impassioned and powerful op-ed column in the 12/11 New York Times!

In his review of Barry Jenkins' new movie If Beale Street Could Talk, Elias Rodriques focuses on how Black Feminism was influencing James Baldwin's work in the early 1970's, when the source novel was written.

On December 10, attorneys for the 21 young plaintiffs in the landmark constitutional climate lawsuit, Juliana v. United States, filed their answer in opposition to the fifth petition of the Trump administration to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. In their Fifth Petition, Defendants seek permission for an early appeal before trial.

Dr. Margaret Flowers, along with co-author Kevin Zeese, responds to recent Obama conversation at the Baker Institute.

A recent Chicago Tribune story highlights Kim Wasserman's current work in McKinley Park, fighting with neighbors for environmental safety as a large asphalt plant is under construction across the street from their namesake park. Wasserman has also been appointed to a power-packed transition panel, tasked by the new Illinois administration with identifying pri

All of Robert Shetterly's 238 completed portraits in the Americans Who Tell the Truth project are on exhibit at Syracuse University through December 14th.

In this 11/27/18 Mongabay newscast, Bill McKibben talks about where he finds hope in the current climate change landscape. McKibben highlights grassroots movements such as the Sunrise Movement and theExtinction Rebellion.

BRUSSELS - On Tuesday, the Legal Affairs Committee (JURI) of the European Parliament voted in favor of a proposed Whistleblower Protection Directive, which would create legally binding free speech protections for whistleblowers in all EU member states.

Dubbed "The Poet of the Black Revolution", the legendary activist, poet and educator Nikki Giovanni received a warm welcome from the D.C. community as she shared excerpts from her new book, A Good Cry on October 26 at Busboys and Poets located on 450 K St N.W.

Tim DeChristopher is interviewed about climate activism and use of the "necessity" defense in a recent WIRED article "Pipeline Vandals are Reinventing Climate Activism."

Brandeis School of Law has posted some nice website coverage about AWTT program there on October 30. Attendees included both members of the Lousiville, KY legal community and students from Louisville's Central High School.

On Friday, November 2 the United States Supreme Court denied the Trump administration's application for stay in the landmark constitutional climate lawsuit, Juliana v. United States. The lawsuit, brought by twenty-one young Americans and supported by Our Children's Trust, is back on track for trial.

Arena Stage will present the American Artist Award to Tony Award-winning playwright, performer, activist and author Eve Ensler, one of Arena's Power Play commissioned artists. The award will be presented Wednesday, November 14, 2018 as part of the opening night celebration for the gold standard musical Anything Goes, directed by Molly Smith.

In this tribute to Ruby Bridges, Edelman recalls the courage of a 6-year old black student in 1960 and calls upon all of us to follow her example.

Trial in the landmark constitutional climate change lawsuit will not start on October 29, but the young plaintiffs will descend on Eugene, Oregon to have their voices heard.Get more details from Our Children's Trust October 15 Press Release.

In a press release dated October 5, Our Chidlren's Trust reported that the Trump administration has filed another motion with the U.S. District Court to stay discovery and trial - attempting, again, to postpone and avoid trial of the Plaintiff's claims.

When the MacArthur Foundation announced its 2018 Genius Fellows today, Dr. Rev Barber was among the chosen 25. AWWT congratulates Dr. Rev. Barber on this well-deserved recognition.

Noam Chomsky will turn 90 in December. Here are a few highlights from his work this month (September):

Roy Bourgeois responds to recent disclosures about Pennsylvania priests:

The Wendell Berry Farming Program is up and running again after a two-year hiatus, precipitated by the unexpected closing in 2016 of St. Catharine College in Springfield, where the program was based.

CODEPINK and Global Exchange cofounder Medea Benjamin is still out in the world making noise and taking action - seemingly everywhere.

“I don’t care how many times you tell me you love me, if you put coal ash in my water you don’t love me."

Erika Allen:We use urban farming as a way to heal communities in terms of trauma and the violence that a lot of our youth and their families experience.

Cornell Chronicle reporter Linda Glaser reviews the Phoenix Players Theater Group's production of "The Strength of Our Convictions: The Auburn Redemption" at the Auburn Correctional Facility.

Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha's compelling story is now in print. What the Eyes Don't See: The Story of Crisis, Resistence and Hope in an American City.

The transgender activist behind a landmark "restroom of choice" case is marking another historic first. This time on television.

July 31, 2018 Update: The U.S. Supreme Court denied the government's "emergency" motion.

It's been a very exciting fall forAmericans Who Tell the Truth and the Samantha Smith Challenge.

The 2016 Samantha Smith Challenge offered and exciting demonstration of student activism around the state of Maine with 9 schools and 700 kids working on service projects in their communities.

Americans Who Tell the Truth and the My Hero Project are putting out the call for entries for the 2nd Annual "Shetterly Prize" for socially engaged art.

A video made by Amelya Black from the opening of the Americans Who Tell the Truth show in Greensboro, North Carolina. Robert Shetterly narrates.

This year, 2015, the MyHero Project and Americans Who Tell the Truth created "The Shetterly Prize". Entries were solicited from people of all ages and from anywhere.

Media Kit for the AWTT show in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Americans Who Tell the Truth receives grants from the Maine Community Foundation and the Holt Family Fund to support the Samantha Smith Challenge.

Two professors of education at the University of North Carolina Greensboro have created a curriculum for teachers to use in working with AWTT in North Carolina and beyond.

Steve Kaagan returns his honorary degree to Williams College in support of serious climate action and to protest the college's investments in fossil fuels.

The My Hero Project and Americans Who Tell the Truth create "The Shetterly Prize" for art that portrays heroes or heroism.

Americans Who Tell the Truth hosts the first annual Samantha Smith Challenge at the Hall of Flags at the Maine State Capitol in Augusta, Maine on June 1, 2015.

The Saint Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire hosted the Americans Who Tell the Truth portraits and Robert Shetterly during the Fall of 2014.

Americans Who Tell the Truth and the Maine Association for Middle Level Education launch The Samantha Smith Challenge for service learning and engaged citizenship.

The Moon magazine publishes an interview with Robert Shetterly, founder of the Americans Who Tell the Truth project.

In April 2014, Robert Shetterly and Americans Who Tell the Truth board member, Dud Hendrick, were invited to accompany Lily Yeh to Palestine as part of a Barefoot Artists project.

Founder of Operation Breaking Stereotypes and AWTT Director of Education, Connie Carter, talks about the history of OBS in this Bangor Daily News article.

Brooksville, Maine -- On January 31, the United States Postal Service will unveil a new postage stamp honoring Shirley Chisholm

This letter about the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission by Arla Patch and Robert Shetterly was first published in the Lewiston Sun Journal.

AWTT week in review: Sibel Edmonds, Denise Altvater, Esther Attean.

This month, AWTT begins a series of professional development workshops for Maine teachers, funded by the Maine Community Foundation. Rob Shetterly and Connie Carter will hold seven of these workshops held in different places around the state(interested in hosting a workshop? see below).

Twenty Mount Desert Island (ME) and Bronx Academy of Letters (NY) students met for fivedays at MDI High School and worked on a powerful project about hate language in their schools andcommunities.

The government has it right. Bradley Manning is guilty -- but not for the crimes they convicted him for. If his crime was defending democracy, guilty.

Very few of Rob Shetterly's AWTT subjects have elicited a response as powerful as the one to his most recent portrait of Edward Snowden.

Eve Ensler, In the Body of the World: A Memoir, Metropolitan Books, New York, 2013.

Peace & Justice centers, schools, progressive media sites, environmental and social justice advocates and other organizations can now raise money for their programs and causes by selling AWTT posters and cards from their own websites, Facebook pages or twitter accounts.

Yesterday, April 30, 2013, Sandra Steingraber, Melissa Chipman and Michael Daneen werer

On April 23, 2013, Connie Carter and Rob Shetterly were invited to introduce AWTT to University of Maine Education students enrolled in EDB 202 -- Education in a Multicultural Society.

This past April 9, the Norwalk Community College Theater Club brought the Americans Who Tell the Truth portraits to life for the school´s “Humanitarian Week”.

Bill Griffen, the longest tenured professor in State University of New York(SUNY)history, and a lifelong activist

The

Americans Who Tell the Truth will unveil Robert Shetterly´s portrait of CIA whistleblower, John Kiriakou on Wednesday the 23rd of January 2013.

Visitors to the site may have read Robert Shetterly´s blog post about being introduced to the story of Elizabeth "Mumbet" Freeman by a woman named Dolores Volk. Volk sent Shetterly an email after seeing a set of AWTT portraits on display at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Ella Baker was born on this day in 1903. She died in 1986 on her birthday.

AWTT is pleased to announced that the four most recent additions to the portrait series are now available as beautifully printed, 11" x 17" posters.

Teacher Ken Giles´ students write 100 letters telling publishers Silver Burdett/Pearson why Paul Robeson should be in their Making Music textbook.

The Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine will present Rob Shetterly with their "Hands of Peace" award at the organization´s 23rd annual Harvest Supper.The "Youth Hands of Peace Award" will be presented to Dan White.The event begins at 6 pm and will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor, Maine at120 Park Street.

Larry Gibson, a West Virginia activist against mountain top removal (MTR) and subject of the AWTT portrait series died yesterday.

AWTT´s partner, The Institute for Humane Education, has announced the online courses that will begin in October, 2012. Below are descriptions of the courses provided by IHE.

Americans Who Tell the Truth (AWTT) is excited to launch the Beta version of its new website today.Many of the site features will offer powerful new tools for visitors in general and for teachers and students in particular. For example, the portraits can now by sorted by Theme and by recommended Education Level from the Portrait Galleries page.

The AWTT Facebook community is growing quickly; we now have more than 3,000 followers there. Nearly every day, Michele Hemenway posts relevant news and interesting nuggets about the AWTT portraits.We are just getting going on Twitter. There AWTT goes byTruthAmerica.

For its first ten years, Americans Who Tells the Truth has been a self-sustaining organization, supported by merchandise sales, exhibit rentals and speaking fees.

The University of Southern Maine at Lewiston/Auburn has designed its required curriculum for all students around the question ( from Leo Tolstoy) "How, then, Shall We Live?" The curricular themes are Democracy, Sustainability, Justice and Difference. The important threads are ethical awareness, social responsibility, and civic engagement.

A show of twenty portraits opens today, September 1, at the Traffic Zone Center for Visual Art in Minneapolis and will be there till Sept. 30th. Rob will visit schools in Minneapolis during the week of September 15th. For information call Kathy Wismar 612-240-4654

For more than a year Rob has been doing occasional interviews on WERU community radio from Orland, Maine with some of the people whose portraits he has painted. Below are the links to the archived interviews at WERU.

On February 1, 2008 a show of 92 portraits will open in San Francisco in two locations: The African American Art and Culture Complex at 762 Fulton St. and at the Administrative Offices of the Courts at 455 Golden Gate Ave. For more information call: 510-486-2340

Maine Veterans for Peace has produced a beautiful,informative 17 month calendar that begins with August 2007 and runs through December 2008. Each month has one of the AWTTT portraits and information about important historical social justice events. The calendars are avilable from MVP at http://vfpmaine.org/mainevfpcalendar.htm

The sales of the book Americans Who Tell the Truth is in its third printing and sales continue at a rapid pace. Order yours from your local independent bookseller! In the Summer of 2008 Dutton will publish Americans Who Tell the Truth in paperback.

At its graduation ceremonies on May 12, 2007 The University of New England awarded Rob an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters, and Rob gave the graduation speech to the Class of 2007 in the Civic Center in Portland, Maine.

The University of Southern Maine, at its graduation cerimonies on May 12, 2007 in Portland, awarded Rob its Distinguished Achievement Award in recognition of the portrait series.