Today, a number of prominent free speech groups are expressingconcern over student reaction on several campuses to a controversialad that recently ran in college newspapers across the country.
The ad, titled "Ten Reasons Why Reparations for Blacksis a Bad Idea for Blacks — and Racist, Too" was writtenand paid for by conservative activist David Horowitz. In the ad,Horowitz states reasons why he opposes reparations for slaveryin the U.S. Among his reasons are that not all African-Americanshave suffered because of the legacy of slavery, that African-Americansowe a debt to whites who ended slavery and that welfare benefitsand racial preferences constitute a form of reparations.
Reaction by some students, who regard the ad as racist or "hatespeech," has resulted in the destruction of thousands ofnewspapers by students at Brown University, formal apologies forrunning the ad at University of California at Berkeley, Universityof California at Davis and Arizona State, and protests at DukeUniversity, the University of Wisconsin and several others. Manycampus newspapers have simply refused to run the ad at all.
"The traditional role of universities is to be a marketplaceof ideas, including ideas that certain students may not agreewith or find offensive," said Joan Bertin, Executive Directorof the National Coalition Against Censorship. "While studentprotests are an appropriate way to explore controversy, when studentstake it upon themselves to suppress ideas that they find objectionablethey fail to meet the challenge of a free society — to counteroffensive ideas with more persuasive arguments of their own,"added Bertin.
"Stealing newspapers is both a crime and an affront tofree statement. The discussion here should be over the meritsof the arguments made in this ad, not the conscientious effortby college editors to encourage debate on an important but controversialtopic," noted Mark Goodman, Executive Director of the StudentPress Law Center.
"Suppression of any type of material — ads, plays, speeches– deemed offensive by individuals or groups will not and shouldnot stifle uncomfortable ideas. As teachers and citizens we mustdefend free speech and the flow of ideas it engenders," statedMartin Snyder, Director of the Office of Academic Freedom forthe American Association of University Professors.
For more information contact:
Joan Bertin, Executive DirectorNational Coalition Against Censorship — 212/807-6222www.ncac.org
Mark Goodman, Executive DirectorStudent Press Law Center — 703/807-1904www.splc.org
Martin Snyder, Director, Office of Academic FreedomAmerican Association of University Professors — 202/737-5900www.aaup.org
James D’Entremont, SpokespersonThe Boston Coalition for Freedom of Expression — 617/266-5827www.ultranet.com/~kyp/bcfe.html
Chris Finan, PresidentAmerican Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression — 212/587-4025www.abffe.com
Judith Platt, Director of Communications and Public AffairsAssociation of American Publishers — 202/220-4551www.publishers.org
Previous Stories:
Collegepapers face protests, thefts after publishing ad critical of slaveryreparations (3/20/01)