All over the world, people struggle for justice in public, uncensored spaces.  I study, participate in, teach, and write about these interactions that are a critical project of democracy to breathe life into actions for social change. The need is urgent, amid  political polarization, to promote discussion and debate that can strengthen the base of ordinary people to influence decision making and policy formation.

Rallies, protests and marches demonstrate the power of  collective action.  Civil rights, environmental protection, peace, labor rights, women’s rights, and disability rights, among others have been the source of movements where communities gather to  express the strength of their convictions. 

Free speech actions thus depend upon vocal and courageous people testing, and sometimes overstepping, the norms and laws governing speech and assembly, to carry their principles into arenas of disruption and civil disobedience, often paying high legal and personal costs in the process. Despite achieving impressive gains through collective action, current and past generations have routinely ignored or disparaged the importance of voices for activism.