Daily Themes

Digital sign about Free Speech Week. Learn the basics of free speech. Sign up for the ADL modules today!
Learn the basics of free speech through an interactive module. Each participant will receive a certificate upon completion. Sign up today!

Faculty/Staff: Free Speech in Policy and Practice – a 40-minute self-paced online workshop provides participants with knowledge on free speech, counter speech, and academic freedom to build an inclusive campus climate that promotes the free exchange of ideas. Self-enroll via Canvas.  

Students: Free Speech in Campus Discourse – a 40-minute self-paced online workshop focused on the importance of free speech and academic freedom on a college campus; dispel myths concerning what is protected speech (and what is not); and tips for managing prominent speakers, political protests, and hate speech. Canvas link for students.   

Digital sign of Free Speech Week. Counter Speech through design. Learn to design posts for counter-speech

The freedom of speech, among our other First Amendment rights, are guaranteed by the US Constitution. Posters have long been used as a tool in rallies, demonstrations, protests, and other events. Activists have used posters to provoke audiences and bring attention to a wide variety of issues over the course of history.  As technology has advanced, many people have turned to social media posts with similar intentions. 

MAKE YOUR POSTER STANDOUT

Get straight to the point - You only have seconds to get your message across.

Less is more - Keep your poster concise, remember time is of the essence.

Make it easy to read from a distance -The top priority of a poster is generally to expose someone to an event or idea. Key information should be easy to read from a distance draw people to the poster and create a hierarchy in the text.

Get it in front of people as many ways as possible - Create mini versions of your poster that can be used in other places as well. Remember one of those basic principles of marketing — a person needs exposure to something 20 times to remember it. The multiple poster versions can help you accomplish just that.

Use one big visual - A picture is worth 1000 words. Choose one singular image to get attention.

Use plenty of space - White space is your friend. Extra spacing will dramatically increase visual impact and readability at distances.

Include a call to action - The goal of every poster is to expose people to something. Most of these “touches” involve inviting someone to something, such as a rally or another event. For that reason a call to action is vital.

Digital sign of Free Speech Week. Write a letter to your legislator. Learn how to get your message read.

Write a meaningful letter to your representatives.  You have the right to write! Letters may be formal, informal, typed, handwritten, sent in the mail, or sent electronically.  Here are just a few guidelines according to the American Library Association: 

• Be Brief. A legislator’s time is limited. So is yours.
• Be Appreciative. Acknowledge past support and convey thanks for current action.
• Be Specific. Refer to local library and district needs.
• Be Informative. Give reasons why a measure should be supported.
• Be Courteous. Be positive and polite. Ask for a specific action or support without being demanding or threatening.

You might consider writing to your legislator when you need information or service, want to call attention to an issue or need, want to thank them for addressing an issue or need  or when you want to share your disappointment with an action.

Digital sign of Free Speech Week. Display your protest art. Ins and outs of getting your message across.

According to UWL's very own, Sierra Rooney, art has always been a powerful tool for social and political change. Throughout history, artists have used their creativity to provoke audiences, bring awareness to an issue, or show support for a particular cause. Protest art can take many forms, including paintings, sculptures, murals, performances, posters, and street art. 

Artists in the United States are protected under the First Amendment, which guarantees freedoms of speech and press. Protest art has become increasingly visible in recent years with the use of social media. 

Here are just a few examples compiled by Sierra Rooney and Amber Strother:

Visual

• Cannupa Hanska Luger - Mirror Shield Project
• Guerilla Girls - Do Women Have To Be Naked To Get Into The Met. Museum?
• Banksy – Napalm 
• Keith Haring - IGNORANCE = FEAR, SILENCE = DEATH
• Ai Weiwei - Study of Perspective Collection

Music

• Yankee Doodle Dandy – American Revolution  
• Billie Holiday “Strange Fruit” – Lynchings
• System of a Down "BYOB" - Iraq War
• Rage Against the Machine “Testify” – American Politics 
• Kendrick Lamar “Alright” – BLM  
• Beyonce featuring Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie  “Flawless” - Feminism

Written  

• Maya Angelou “Still I Rise”
• Margaret Atwood “Time Capsule Found on the Dead Planet” 
• Nnedi Okorafor “Spider the Artist” 
• NK Jemisin “The Ones Who Stay and Fight” 

Performance 

• Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner - “Dear Matafele Peinam” performed at UN Climate Summit
• Amanda Gorman  - “The Hill We Climb” performed at President Biden’s inauguration 
• Emma Sulkowicz - Mattress Performance (Carry That Weight)

Digital sign of Free Speech Week. Organize a teach-in. Create an educational environment to learn and grow.

A teach-in is an opportunity for faculty, staff, and students to learn about a specific topic and discuss the issue(s) with other attendants.  Teach-ins can empower students to explore an issue more in depth.

Check out this Teach-In Toolkit, created with earth day in mind but adaptable to other topics: Teach-in Toolkit

If considering a teach-in, Yale Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning recommends organizers ask the following questions:

1. How can we leverage expertise to engage students and create opportunities for reflection?
2. How do we acknowledge specific issues or topics and recognize differing perspectives?
3. What actions should we take to create a safe space for all participants, ensuring that everyone feels like they belong?
4. How do we set guidelines for engaging with speakers and participants to design an equitable and lively forum?
5. What resources already exist related to the issue we plan to discuss? How can we highlight or share those resources more broadly?