Defending intellectual freedom and campus free speech

Academic freedom and campus free speech are essential to advancing knowledge, fostering critical thinking, and sustaining a multiracial, pluralistic, democratic society. Faculty should be able to teach and research free from censorship and political interference, and all members of the academic community should be able to speak out, organize and dissent.

To learn more about the AFT and American Association of University Professors’ plan for strengthening academic freedom and campus free speech, read Pillar I of “A Blueprint for Strengthening and Transforming Higher Education.” 

Related Resources

• AFT Campus Free Speech Resources
• AFT resolution: “Condemning Hate and Affirming Freedom of Speech on Campus” (2023)
• American Educator: Defending Academic Freedom: How Bipartisan Coalitions Can Strengthen Our Educational System (2024)
• American Educator: Free to Teach, Free to Learn: Examining the Lines Between Education, Discrimination, and Indoctrination (2024)
• AAUP Resources on Academic Freedom
• AFT/AAUP Webinar with AAC&U: Exploring Faculty Perspectives on Academic Freedom and Civil Discourse