Does free speech protect racism?
Now to the issue of why we were protesting—which is the thing Mr. Hentoff wants the least to deal with. He would like to again rip the issue of free speech from associated issues regarding basic freedom, basic democracy and social justice. We cannot disassociate the issue of free speech from other issues. The law recognizes free speech as something organically connected to its context. For instance, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 made discrimination based on race, ethnicity and national origin illegal. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act also recognizes the impermissibility of allowing racism and discrimination in an educational institution that receives any kind of federal funding from creating a hostile learning environment. Racism and discrimination, as is recognized in Title VI, can become so repugnant and obstructive to students that it inhibits their participation and their learning. It’s on this basis that universities have declared that hate speech, extreme and vicious racism, sexis
