Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All

"This book is my effort to explain the importance of free speech in the struggle to make society more equitable and inclusive. Over the last few years, I’ve grown concerned that young Americans are alienated from the principles of free speech. They’ve come of age in an era when the First Amendment seems to be invoked most often to protect bigoted, noxious speech. So, it’s natural that they are questioning the value of free speech. “The First Amendment is not absolute” I detail how the First Amendment and the doctrine of free speech protected dissidents and people who challenged authority throughout the last century, to remind the rising wave of progressive Americans of the value of free speech to their cause. Ultimately, free speech is as— if not more—important to the advocates of social justice as to anyone else. Whether you’re pushing the boundaries of police reform or climate change or LGBT rights or gun safety, you need to offer edgy ideas, challenge conventional wisdom and confront the government through free speech. But we need an enlightened conception of freedom of speech. Presently, public forums are hardly level playing fields. For the marketplace for ideas to truly flourish, we must urgently act to amplify lesser heard voices, mitigate the impact of hateful speech and foster a more conscientious use of speech to offset the hazards of unfettered speech. So many threats to free speech today, whether it’s the power wielded by online platforms or the censorious force of cancel culture, are not from laws or courts or government authorities. That is why it’s vital for ordinary citizens to recognize why free speech is important in our society, in our economy, and in our culture. We must coalesce around defending free speech in a way that is consistent with the drive for a more equal and inclusive society. Laws have little to do with our fractious and debased public discourse, judges can’t protect us from harassment online and censorious backlash against political differences of opinion. Courts can’t fix our civic life. My book tries to show how we can do that together. And why we must."