Books Not Bombs

Background

The threats to federal education programs have become acute, with funds for PELL grants, Title I, and disability programs at risk in the Trump/Musk Administration. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon has proposed termination of many Department of Education programs which local school districts rely on. This reflects both right-wing hostility to public education and the administration’s priority of significantly increasing military spending, including funding for Israel, the war in Ukraine, and new nuclear weapons.

Though organizations representing teachers and educators, including NEA, AFT, and AAUP, have mobilized to resist these cuts, it remains difficult to reach parents, who generally lack statewide organizing structures. Local school district groups rarely engage with federal budget priorities.

Campaign Goals

One goal of the Books Not Bombs campaign is to link parental concerns with educator concerns regarding cuts to the federal education budget and the diversion of taxpayer dollars to war. Recent forums have explored strategies to protect funding for public education and expand outreach to parents and grandparents through Peace Action affiliates and allied organizations including Progressive Democrats of America and Our Revolution.

A second goal is carried out in collaboration with the American Association of University Professors and the American Federation of Teachers. These organizations have launched a national campaign responding to attacks on higher education, calling for teach-ins on the first Friday of each month leading up to a national day of action on May 1, 2026. In Greater Boston, where many institutions lack active AAUP or AFT chapters, the Books Not Bombs Committee has organized a series of Zoom teach-ins. Program details are listed under “Teach-ins.”

Get Involved

The Books Not Bombs Committee is hosted by the Massachusetts Peace Action Education Fund. It includes parents, grandparents, teachers, and faculty, and meets monthly via Zoom. Participants include representatives from the Massachusetts Teachers Association, AFT Massachusetts, Citizens for Public Schools, AAUP chapters, and other peace and justice organizations.

To join the listserv, email books-not-bombs@masspeaceaction.org.