The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) is expanding its work beyond college campuses, renaming itself the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression in a $75 million expansion initiative.
Greg Lukianoff
The free speech organization is launching “Faces of Free Speech,” a $10 million nationwide advertising campaign to promote free expression. Billboards will be located in various cities, including Washington D.C., Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Des Moines, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and New York City.
“America needs a new nonpartisan defender of free speech that will advocate unapologetically for this fundamental human right in both the court of law and the court of public opinion,” said FIRE President & CEO Greg Lukianoff. “FIRE has a proven track record of defeating censorship on campus. We are excited to now bring that same tireless advocacy to fighting censorship off campus.”
FIRE is currently looking for off-campus free speech legal case submissions and hiring staff.
“We need to remind older Americans that freedom of speech is still a value worth fighting for,” Lukianoff said. “And we need to teach younger Americans that everything from scientific progress, to artistic expression, to social justice, peace, and living authentic lives requires the staunch protection of freedom of speech for all."
