"Last week, the National Coalition Against Censorship released a nationwide statement, signed by more than 500 individuals working across the arts and culture sector and over 200 cultural institutions. It reasserts the arts sector's commitment to retain programmatic independence and resist pressures of self-censorship under a cloud of growing pressures from new federal policies, executive orders and external threats. I am proud to have signed on to this statement, with more arts leaders and institutions joining every day - including dozens from our local community."
"In our own local community, it is the artists who raise the voices of our marginalized populations; the arts organizations which tell the stories of our silenced neighbors; the culture-bearers who save our histories and traditions; and the cultural events that bring us together and help us understand one another. Nationally, and even in our own state and some local communities, social and governmental pressures are creating a chill of censorship that threatens the independence of arts and cultural institutions."
More than 500 individuals and over 200 cultural institutions nationwide committed to retaining programmatic independence and resisting pressures that drive self-censorship amid rising federal policies, executive orders, and external threats. The statement emphasizes that standing up to these threats preserves artistic and intellectual freedom, ensuring future generations inherit robust cultural institutions that stimulate imagination, encourage free thinking, and incubate new futures. Local artists amplify marginalized voices, arts organizations tell silenced stories, culture-bearers preserve histories, and cultural events foster understanding. Funding cuts, fear of ICE raids, and IRS weaponization are undermining participation and prompting nonprofits to second-guess missions. Unifying values include free expression, active debate, responsibility, and care.
Read at San Jose Spotlight
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