The Common Room: Race, Reconciliation, and Free Speech on Campus

This March 19, 2021 virtual session, "Managing Political Differences on the Virtual Campus" is co-hosted by PEN America and the American Association of College & Universities, and is the tenth in our online series, “The Common Room.”

Calls for racial justice, equity, and historical reckoning are reverberating with new poignancy on campuses. Yet, challenges surrounding the intersections of free speech, academic freedom, and bias remain, while some express concerns that efforts to advance diversity and anti-racism are too dogmatic in their approaches. As professors and practitioners throughout the higher education sector look for models to bridge these differences, this program will spotlight the work of the Association of American Colleges and Universities’ (AAC&U) Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Campus Centers, asking their leaders to reflect on these themes. How do these centers approach today’s challenges, aiming to facilitate deep listening, dialogue, and equitable paths forward for students and faculty from all backgrounds?

Panelists include:
(Host) Jonathan Friedman, Campus Free Speech Program Director at PEN America
Tia Brown McNair, Vice President, Office of Diversity, Equity, and Student Success, and Executive Director, Truth, Racial, Healing, and Transformation Campus Centers, AAC&U
Kaiwipunikauikawēkiu Punihei Lipe, Native Hawaiian Affairs Program Officer and Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Campus Center Director, University of Hawai'i at Manoa
Cynthia Neal Spence, Associate Professor of Sociology, UNCF/Mellon Programs Director, and Social Justice Fellows Program Director, Spelman College
Khayree O. Williams, Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Campus Center Director, Austin Community College District