by David C. Mendoza

About the author: David C. Mendoza is the former executive director of the National Campaign for Freedom of Expression.

Institutional censorship has had an impact on artists and cultural groups producing work considered at or outside the margins of "mainstream" society. Publishing houses, foundations, record companies, art galleries, movie studios, and museums have historically been controlled by Caucasian men who haven't always been welcoming to artists of color, women, or out gays and lesbians. National Campaign for Freedom of Expression (NCFE) has been an active participant in public policy discussions, educational forums, and the media, educating the public about and advocating for continued progress toward eliminating institutional censorship.

At the end of the twentieth century, support for artists and cultures outside the mainstream has vastly improved. One precipitating factor of...