Former ACLU president to deliver lecture on how to resist hate with free speech

photo by: Contributed Photo

Nadine Strossen will deliver a lecture at the Lawrence Public Library on Feb. 27 about her 2018 book, "Hate: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, not Censorship.”

Nadine Strossen, the first female and youngest-ever person to lead the American Civil Liberties Union, will deliver a lecture on Thursday at the Lawrence Public Library on how to resist hate with free speech.

Strossen, who became president of the ACLU in 1991 at age 40 and served until 2008, will discuss her 2018 book, “Hate: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, not Censorship.” The event is part of the University of Kansas’ Hall Center for the Humanities lecture series.

photo by: Contributed Photo

“Hate: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, not Censorship,” by Nadine Strossen.

Richard Godbeer, director of the Hall Center for the Humanities, wrote in an email to the Journal-World that the argument Strossen lays out in her book is central to current public debates and that her talk “reminds us that the Humanities continue to shed important light on crucial issues affecting our lives today.”

During her tenure as president of the ACLU, membership increased from 275,000 to 500,000, and Strossen sought to increase youth involvement, according to a 2008 press release from the ACLU. The release also states that under her leadership, the ACLU was a leader in protecting civil liberties after 9/11 and fought against government secrecy, abuses of power and human rights violations. Strossen is currently the John Marshall Harlan II Professor of Law, Emerita at the New York Law School. She is known for her opposition to the regulation of hate speech and pornography. Her 1995 book, “Defending Pornography: Free Speech, Sex, and the Fight for Women’s Rights,” was named a “Notable Book” of 1995 by The New York Times.

Strossen’s lecture begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St. It is free and open to the public. A question-and-answer session will follow the lecture, and Strossen will be available to sign books after the event.

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