Firewall for Freedom Podcast

In the face of an increasingly hostile federal administration, it’s more important than ever to arm our communities with the knowledge and tools they need to protect their rights and fight for justice. The Firewall Podcast, hosted by Sharon Baker of TELEDUCTION, serves as a powerful tool, as part of the national ACLU Firewall for Freedom Initiative, in our ongoing fight against attacks on immigrant communities, reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ students, and so many others.

It's our duty and honor to provide vital, actionable information to empower people across Delaware and beyond. 

You can find each part in the series below. New episodes will be added as they're published.

Episode 1 | Refuse to Cooperate: Building a Wall of Resistance

A.Episode 1 | Refuse to Cooperate: Building a Wall of Resistance

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In our inaugural episode, we explore a foundational act of American resistance: refusal. 

From the ACLU’s early role defending the right to think freely in the 1925 Scopes “Monkey” Trial where legendary attorney Arthur Garfield Hays fought for the right to teach evolution in Tennessee classrooms to the present-day battlegrounds over bodily autonomy and civil liberties, refusal to cooperate with injustice has been one of our most powerful legal tools. 

This episode brings that legacy into sharp focus for today. We’ll talk with Hays’ own descendant, also named Hays, about the generational throughline of legal defiance, and hear from ACLU of Delaware Executive Director Mike Brickner about how this history guides our strategy now. 

We break down the legal authority that state leaders, like governors and attorneys general, have to resist federal overreach. And we spotlight how Delaware is poised to lead the nation in saying no to unjust federal demands: 

  • Mass surveillance on people seeking reproductive or gender-affirming care 
  • Suppression of protest 
  • ICE collaboration and harmful immigration raids 

Because building a firewall for freedom starts with understanding that refusal isn’t defiance; it’s protection. 

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