The ABCs of Free Speech with Emerson Sykes

It’s because of the First Amendment that we have a right to protest abuses of power, advocate for our neighbors, and defend our privacy. But what does the U.S. Constitution actually say about freedom of speech? This week, the ACLU’s Emerson Sykes joins Kamau to break down this fundamental right. We cover everything from why free speech issues aren’t always First Amendment issues to why 1A rights don’t mean much if they don’t protect everyone—including people and groups we don’t agree with. Our senior executive producer is Sam Riddell. This episode was executive produced by Jessica Herman Weitz for the ACLU, and W. Kamau Bell, Kelly Rafferty, PhD, and Melissa Hudson Bell, PhD for Who Knows Best Productions. It was recorded at Skyline Studios in Oakland, CA. At Liberty is edited and produced by Erica Getto and Myrriah Gossett for Good Get.

You can listen to The ABCs of Free Speech with Emerson Sykes online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

The ABCs of Free Speech with Emerson Sykes is an episode from At Liberty by At Liberty.

This episode is 58:59 long.

This episode was published on Jul 4, 2025.

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