Taxpayer Money Funds Controversial Education Group

A nonprofit called Teaching for Change has been getting a lot of public money. Between 2023 and 2025, D. C. public schools, the mayor's office, and the city's art commission gave them nearly $330, 000. The Smithsonian also paid them about $20, 000 from 2019 to 2022 for teaching events. This group runs the Zinn Education Project. They make classroom materials that praise people linked to violence. For example, they talk positively about members of the Black Panther Party, like Eldridge Cleaver and Assata Shakur, who were involved in violent acts. They also praise Angela Davis, who was connected to a shootout with police. The Zinn Education Project supports the Stonewall Riots, which were violent clashes between police and the LGBT community. They also support crimes against energy infrastructure for environmental causes. They even compare actions by the U. S. and Israeli governments to the 9/11 attacks and suggest Israel provoked the October 7 terrorist attacks. The National Education Association, the biggest teachers' union in the country, works closely with the Zinn Education Project. Some teachers feel betrayed. They say the group built trust by talking about race and history but then spread misinformation about Jews. They worry that these biased lessons shape people's views in a negative way. Teaching for Change is very active in the D. C. area. They run a network of educators who focus on social justice. They share documents, host meetings, and organize protests. Some teachers accuse them of spreading antisemitism through their biased lessons. The Smithsonian worked with the Zinn Education Project on a workshop for teachers about African American history after the Civil War. Neither the Smithsonian nor the D. C. mayor's office commented on the situation.