The Committee for the First Amendment (CFA) is a rapidly growing coalition of artists, storytellers, and entertainment leaders—organizing to educate the public about free expression, defend constitutional rights, and ensure the entertainment industry is a pillar of resistance, not compliance, in the face of rising repression and censorship.

Originally founded during the McCarthy Era—when the U.S. government targeted artists, academics, public servants, and elected officials for their beliefs, silencing and blacklisting them—CFA emerged from a simple, enduring truth: when Americans stand together across differences, repression can be defeated.

In October 2025, Jane Fonda and hundreds of leaders from across the entertainment industry relaunched the Committee for the First Amendment with the same guiding principles that shaped the original: a deep commitment to free speech, and the belief that artists are uniquely positioned—and uniquely responsible—to help defend it against government censorship and political intimidation. Now with over 3,000 members, CFA represents voices from every corner of the entertainment industry across film, television, theater, music, and media. 

CFA believes in the power of solidarity, the strength of numbers, and the responsibility of culture to defend democracy. CFA members stand together—fiercely united—to protect free speech and free expression, the inalienable rights of every American, regardless of background or political belief.

The Committee for the First Amendment is a fiscally sponsored project of the Washington, DC based 501(c)(3) organization Essential Information.

Committee for the First Amendment

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