Oscar-winning actress and progressive activist Jane Fonda has relaunched the Committee for the First Amendment, a free speech initiative that was launched in response to the rise of “McCarthyism” during the 1940s. Nearly 600 figures from the entertainment industry co-signed onto the newly relaunched committee, including Aaron Sorkin, Barbra Streisand, and Gracie Abrams. The Committee was initially created in an effort to defend free speech and oppose government activity, but at the time, it was met with backlash for its suspected ties to the Communist Party. Kimmel has since returned to the air, but the situation triggered conversations about free speech. The announcement of the relaunch stated that they will “stand together-fiercely united-to defend free speech and expression from this assault.”“This is not a partisan issue,” the statement said.