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The importance of standing up for free speech

The importance of standing up for free speech

Journalists, and all of us, need to stand up for the First Amendment.

Aaricka Washington
September 19, 2025

We are just days away from the end of the summertime. I’m going to miss the long sunsets and the days just chilling at the beach in a swimsuit. But with the fall comes the harvest. A time when the things when we get to gather up all of the lessons we’ve learned after they’ve ripened. I hope that staying strong and having journalism integrity is one of them.

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you can clearly see how the media industry is being censored. Matthew Dowd, a MSNBC political analyst was fired for his on-air comments after conservative, right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was murdered. It led to a domino effect of others – from reporters to educators to comic book writers getting fired for the interpretation of their comments being insensitive. Most visibly, however, was the firing of Washington Post opinion columnist Karen Attiah. In a Substack message, she wrote she was dropped after 11 years with the Post for her Bluesky comments about Kirk. She said she was fired for “speaking out against political violence, racial double standards, and America’s apathy toward guns”.

Also this week, ABC indefinitely suspended late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel for comments about Trump and Kirk.

As an American, we have First Amendment rights when it comes to free speech. What happens when the media, academics and others don’t have that protection to say anything that criticizes the government?

That’s why we’re here. Our country, our state, our city deserves fair, accurate, and balanced journalism that puts marginalized communities first.

And that’s why we want to include you in our supportive community. You make the news happen at AfroLA. This week marks the beginning of our Investment in Impact campaign.

Why are we launching this campaign? AfroLA is more than a newsroom; we're a community voice. We listen, we report with care, and we shine a light on solutions and resilience across L.A. But to expand our coverage and continue building a platform that truly represents our neighborhoods, we need the collective support of our community.

What will your gift support? This fall, we’ve set out to raise $50,000 in 60 days through our Investment in Impact campaign. It’s all about fueling growth, innovation, and community ownership of local news and community engagement that matters. With your help, and with the collective power of our combined outreach, we can ensure AfroLA continues to thrive as a trusted voice for our communities.

Make a benchmark contribution of $25 here. Will you help create a sustainable future for AfroLA?

Hear about our impact in communities, from the people who report in these communities.

FEATURED STORY

Altadena homeowners unite to preserve neighborhood’s cottages and character after Eaton Fire

By Corinne Ruff

Joanne and Joseph McLaughlin and her husband became first-time homeowners when they bought their historic Janes Village cottage in the early 2000s.

In January, Joanne McLaughlin was planning a block party to celebrate the 100th anniversary of her historic Altadena home before it burned in the Eaton Fire.

“The fire took that all away from us.” she said. The house McLaughlin and her husband Joseph lived in for 24 years and raised 3 kids was one at least 180 similar Tudor Revival-style cottages in an area of Altadena called Janes Village.

The Eaton Fire burned some 75% of these small footprint, uniquely designed cottages. Now, these tight-knit neighbors is leaning on each other to recreate the historical charm and community that drew them to the neighborhood.

AfroLA's Corinne Ruff talked Janes Village community members working to keep the unique neighborhood alive. This story was co-published with Next , a nonprofit newsroom reporting on solutions for equitable and just cities.

Read Corinne Ruff’s story for more.

SUPPORT OUR JOURNALISM: Invest in AfroLA’s impact

Los Angeles deserves a local voice that reflects its people. Invest in AfroLA to expand coverage, deepen community connection, and to build the next generation of storytellers.

We are passing the collection plate. 🙏🏾 (It’s 100% tax-deductible.)

(Keep scrolling…It’s worth it. 🤞🏾)

THE “MUST” LIST

Welcome to a new section of The Breakdown. I will be sharing the latest things I’m reading, watching, buying or listening to.

Must-read: Pre-order Black Owned: The Revolutionary Life of the Black Bookstore by Char Adams

Must-watch: Love, Brooklyn with the Don’t Be Shy Social Club on Tuesday, Sept. 23

Must-do: Run WalkGood LA’s The People’s Pace 5K/10K at Kenneth Hahn Park on Sunday, Sept. 21.

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Send your must-have, must-read, must-do, must-listen recommendations to me at [email protected]. hey might be featured in a future newsletter.

MORE AFROLA STORIES

Mildred Langford: An entertainer driven by faith

By William Jenkins

How does Mildred Langford @mlangford723 describe herself as creative?

For Langford, creativity is deeply influenced by her faith and her commitment to social justice. As an actress, writer, and producer based in Los Angeles, she weaves those values into everything she does.

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“I am such a believer of God and how faith sort of dictates how we move in terms of our social movements and I really believe that we have to have faith and hope to believe that we are in the pursuit of is possible,” Langford said.

Langford is part of the membership team at LAist 89.3, a local NPR affiliate in Pasadena, where she’s also one of the station’s voiceover talents.

Beyond radio, she co-founded The Black Creators Collective, a nonprofit arts organization, and continues to build her career as an actress.

Her latest projects include the film NOLA: The Beginning and her own production company, Little Black Pearl, where she amplifies stories that center Black voices and challenge limiting narratives.

“There are so many things Black women are held responsible for—whether we chose them or not,” Langford said. “Too often, we’re defined by narratives created to appease others. Changing the narrative means showing our humanity, and storytelling is a medium powerful enough to reach millions. It’s saying: ‘No, this is who we are. I am human, just like you.’”

This is Take 5, a culture series from AfroLA that spotlights the lives and works of Black creatives, community changemakers, and cultural tastemakers across Los Angeles. Our goal is to allow Black Californians to tell their own stories, share their work, and define their place in L.A.’s cultural fabric.

Show us some love! Donate to help us continue delivering quality journalism to your inbox, and to our communities. We need your support to keep going, and growing.

THE ROUNDUP

Colin Kaepernick to pay for independent autopsy for Delta State University student found dead on campus

By Gabriel Huff (ABC 24 - Memphis, Tenn.)

Civil rights activist and former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick said he will pay for an independent autopsy for Demartravion “Trey” Reed, a Delta State University student whose body was found hanging on the Mississippi campus.

While law enforcement authorities are ruling his death a suicide, Reed’s family is demanding transparency and answers surrounding his death. Mississippi has a long history of lynching and racial violence against Black Americans. The same day in the same state, unhoused white man Cory Zukatis was also found dead hanging from a tree.

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Trump shifts $435 million to HBCUs as other minority-serving colleges lose funding

By Alecia Taylor (Capital B)

The Trump administration announced it is giving $435 million to HBCUs less than a week after officials announced a cut of approximately $350 million in discretionary funding to many minority-serving institutions that they say engage in discriminatory practices by using racial or ethnic quotas.