Meeting The Enemy
Over the past year I have had LOTS of time to think about speech on campus. Almost a year ago I found out via social media that David Duke qualified for a debate on my campus. I don’t care what the Pollster says- they did that $h!zz on purpose. He only polled over 3% one time during the entire season, and got 3% for the actual vote.
But since then I have been asked about the idea of speech on campus. While most people don’t think about HBCUs, we’ve had a history of controversial speakers too. This includes Khalid Muhammad who spoke at Howard in 1994, after the controversial Kean College speech.
This week I did an essay for Inside Higher Ed reflecting on the time he tried to speak at Emory University and the university cancelled it. I worked there then so I saw the aftermath up close and personal. But the situation has come full circle as Muhammad attended Dillard for 3 years.
So here is my reflection on Muhammad and why we have to protect speech. The environment is ripe to create the next Muhammad. How will higher ed respond?
The Prez
