Artists Advocate for the Protection of First Amendment Rights
On December 15, 2025, a group of cultural leaders, artists, and local politicians assembled at the Federal Hall rotunda in Manhattan, the birthplace of the Bill of Rights, to champion the First Amendment’s vital role in American democracy. The event, dubbed the “First Amendment Day Rally,” was co-organized by the National Coalition Against Censorship, New Yorkers for Culture & Arts, and the First Amendment Culture Team (FACT). The event’s speakers included artists Coco Fusco, Karen Finley, and George Emilio Sánchez, who united to defend creative freedom amid escalating censorship in the U.S.
Felipe Galindo Feggo, an artist directly impacted by political censorship, shared his experiences at the rally. Feggo’s artwork depicting migrants at the U.S. border was retracted from the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History due to its inclusion in a list of “objectionable artworks” targeted by the Trump administration. His expression underscores growing concerns over censorship and its impact on artistic freedom.
The rally highlighted how censorship not only affects individual artists but also contributes to a broader agenda of stifling diverse narratives, including Black and LGBTQ+ histories, through book bans and federal funding cuts. Karen Finley, one of the NEA Four who once contested government censorship in the arts, remarked on the parallels to today’s climate, linking past struggles for creative freedom with current issues like restricted access to educational and healthcare resources.
Alice Sheppard, founder of the Kinetic Light ensemble, delivered a poignant message on the intersection of art, disability, and freedom. She stressed the importance of continuing to fight for accessibility and freedom of expression, refusing to be silenced in the face of governmental attempts to suppress dissenting voices.
The rally, though small in attendance, underscored the enduring commitment to safeguarding freedom of expression and highlighted the ongoing struggle against censorship across various facets of cultural and social life in the United States.