Who gets protected by the First Amendment, ACLU Supporter?

The simple answer is that the First Amendment protects everyone, but in practice, that's not always the case. Just like every other constitutional right, those who are most marginalized and vulnerable are most at risk of losing their freedoms. Free speech is no exception.

That's why we fight so vigorously to defend the free speech rights of everyone. Students from immigrant communities, trans youth, Black and Indigenous individuals whose histories are being erased and misrepresented: Our Constitution protects the voice of every individual in our country, and we won't stop fighting for it to be upheld.

Right now, college campuses are the center of this work. We are right there every step of the way with the students, scholars, and faculty whose rights are under attack – like Mahmoud Khalil, Mohsen Mahdawi, Dr. Badar Khan Suri, and Rümeysa Öztürk, who were targeted for expressing views the president disagreed with.

I'm asking you to join us, too, ACLU Supporter, by making a donation today toward our $100,000 goal to continue this critical work and keep fighting for all of our rights.

Thank you for your commitment to defending free speech, the First Amendment, and our democracy. It's a responsibility that lies with all of us, that we must not take lightly.

In solidarity,

Emerson Sykes
Pronouns: He, him, his
Senior Staff Attorney, ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project