Nannerl O. Keohane: Campus Debate Useful for Campus
President Keohane responds to Wall Street Journal online "Opinion Journal"
Letter to "Opinion Journal"
We've had a lively debate at Duke in response to James Taranto's two recent columns criticizing the speaking invitation extended to Laura Whitehorn, who served 14 years in federal prison for her 1983 role in placing a bomb in the U.S. Capitol building, in protest of the U.S. invasion of Grenada.
Whitehorn was invited by a visiting professor in our African/African-American Studies Program, to speak about her recent work addressing HIV infection in prisons. As Taranto noted, the program's web site posted a description of Whitehorn as a "political prisoner" without mentioning why she went to prison or that she herself had supplied the description. The program has now modified this description to clarify its source and to provide a fuller context.
Although Whitehorn has spoken at other universities without incident, Taranto's columns sparked a useful conversation here, both on campus and with others, about why Duke should allow her to appear. We'll be sharing some of the comments we've received, including those critical of our actions, with the broader Duke community. One member of our alumni board, who served in Vietnam and elsewhere as a Naval officer for two decades, wrote "it is virtually certain I would vehemently disagree with [Whitehorn] on almost any public policy issue. Nevertheless, I would also defend her right to free thought and to free expression with every fiber of my being. . . . That is what I served and fought for."
We've encouraged a debate about this incident for the same reason we resist pressuring our faculty, students or departments in their selection of speakers: We are committed to an open airing of ideas and opinions. One of our nation's greatest values, from the earliest days of our republic, is the freedom for people to express their thoughts openly. Students, faculty members and others in the Duke community benefit from hearing and debating a wide variety of ideas. We have confidence in their ability to analyze and critique the diverse arguments they hear. This activity is central to a healthy democracy, and an essential hallmark of our universities.
Nannerl O. Keohane
President, Duke University
Other Comments
Mike Hanley: There are better choices than Whitehorn
Roy Kiefer: I went to war to protect American freedom of speech