College of the Canyons is having a former affiliate of the Black Panther Party and dedicated Marxist — Angela Davis — speak at a forum it is hosting.
In case you did not know, Angela Davis wants to abolish the prison system. In recent works, she has argued that the current U.S. prison system resembles a new form of slavery, pointing to the disproportionate share of the African-American population who were incarcerated. She actually blamed the effects of Hurricane Katrina on “structural racism, capitalism and imperialism.” Say what?
In light of these views, I have some questions:
Whose idea was this to have Ms. Davis speak? What is the criterion COC has in place for selecting a speaker?
Did the COC board vote on this? If so, was the voting public?
If the board did not vote on this, why not?
Who is paying the $25,000 speaker fee?
If a private person is paying the $25,000 speaker fee, can any member of the public pay for and select a speaker? If yes, I have some ideas.
COC should stand boldly behind this speaker choice and answer these questions.
I wonder if the college considered having Candace Owens provide a counter-view. Or maybe Condoleeza Rice, Thomas Sowell or Christian Walker?
Don’t get me wrong. The First Amendment is for EVERYONE and protects even those viewpoints we may disagree with.
I fully support COC’s right to engage any speakers it wants.
However, I can only imagine the local reaction had COC hired Charlie Kirk, Matt Walsh, Mercedes Schlapp or any other conservative activist to speak about conservative viewpoints.
I would bet money the local “outrage” machine would be in full effect.
I guess only one point of view is “allowed” in academia. And it’s dangerous.
Denise Lite
Santa Clarita
