Offensive forms of hate speech appear on college campuses nationwide, and some of those who create and support the controversial statements cite the Constitution's First Amendment as protecting their free speech actions.
Yesterday evening, the United Minorities Council and the Penn chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union co-sponsored "When Do Speech and Press Become Hate?" -- a discussion about the fine line between the need for freedom of speech and the danger of hate speech. The forum, which was attended by approximately 30 students, was part of the UMC's annual Unity Week.
Images of hate are a frequent occurrence on college campuses, according to UMC Chairman and College senior Carlos Rivera-Anaya.
Rivera-Anaya displayed some such images, including a comic published in a Columbia University publication entitled "Blacky, Fun, Whitey," which portrayed many offensive and stereotypical images of blacks and fraternity parties featuring Ku Klux Klan references.
The comic prompted discussion among the group with regard to whether or not hate speech "is an issue, and if it is an issue, how [the students] can address it," Rivera-Anaya said.
The group talked about how racial images affect them personally and how to identify speech as threatening.
Bob Schoenberg, director of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center, said that the discussion was a demonstration of "the blurry lines between racism, between hate, between prejudice, opinion and truth."
Both UMC Political Chairwoman and College junior Fatimah Muhammad and Rivera-Anaya said that the forum was a great success, citing the diversity of opinion as one of the evening's highlights. Rivera-Anaya added that the discussion was "really dynamic," with "opinions from all sides of the spectrum."
The variety of perspectives allowed students to question many of their previous beliefs.
College junior Steven Parks stated that before coming to the forum, he had been "pro-speech" in all situations.
But, he said that the discussion and images allowed him to understand "why some people believe it's necessary to regulate forms of speech."
College senior Michael Patterson, president of Penn's chapter of the ACLU, similarly appreciated the diversity of the discussion, citing his surprise at finding that images he found offensive were taken by others to be satirical.
Patterson also emphasized the importance of free speech.
"The best way to deal with intolerance on campus goes beyond instituting policy banning speech," Patterson said.
Muhammad and Rivera-Anaya moderated the event, which took place in the ARCH Building.
