Ward Churchill Comes Under Fire as He Prepares to Speak at College in New York

University of Colorado Boulder Professor and longtime American Indian activist Ward Churchill has come under increasing criticism recently because of his exposure of fundamental yet controversial questions about September 11th and his political view of why such events occur and could occur again. Prof. Churchill is scheduled to speak at Hamilton College in New York this Thursday, and family members of people who died in the 911 incidents have been protesting his right to speak. At issue are Churchill's speeches and book entitled "On the Justice of Roosting Chickens." On January 31st he resigned his post as Chair of the Department of Ethnic Studies, but not his professorship — because he did not want the attention focused on him to reflect on fellow department members.

Churchill is scheduled to speak on a panel at Hamilton College in New York this Thursday along with Hamilton philosophy professor Richard Werner and Colorado University ethnic studies professor Natsu Saito (who, the AP points out, is Churchill's wife). Hamilton College has stated that "The opportunity to encounter and respond to people from outside the college community in their intensity and their immediacy is among the key attributes of a liberal education. The views of speakers are their own. We expect, as a matter of civil discourse, that the members of this academic community, as well as visitors, respect the dignity of reasoned and principled debate." Voices of September 11 has stated, "We are extremely disturbed that Hamilton College has intentionally provide a platform for an individual whose viewpoints could compromise the emotional and psychological well being of individuals in its community," as one student at the school is the son of a man who died in the World Trade Center in 2001. The Interim Chancellor of the University benignly stated on January 27th , "I wish to make it clear that Professor Ward Churchill’s views of the events of 9/11 are his own and do not represent the views of University of Colorado faculty, staff, students, administration or Regents. While I may personally find his views offensive, I also must support his right as an American citizen to hold and express his views..." It has come to light that Hamilton College will be conducting a review of the Kirkland Project for the Study of Gender, Society and Culture, which is the organization that is bringing Churchill to speak on campus: "The College is still supporting Ward Churchill coming, but because of its timing, this review could send the signal that it doesn't support the Kirkland Project. So it looks like a veiled attack on free speech," current Kirkland Project director Nancy Rabinowitz stated.

In defense of "Some People Push Back: On the Justice of Roosting Chickens," Churchill says "...if U.S. foreign policy results in massive death and destruction abroad, we cannot feign innocence when some of that destruction is returned. I have never said that people "should" engage in armed attacks on the United States, but that such attacks are a natural and unavoidable consequence of unlawful U.S. policy." In his January 31st statement, Churchill acknowledged that some people do not agree with his analysis of the situation: "...Some people will, of course, disagree with my analysis, but it presents questions that must be addressed in academic and public debate if we are to find a real solution to the violence that pervades today's world. The gross distortions of what I actually said can only be viewed as an attempt to distract the public from the real issues at hand and to further stifle freedom of speech and academic debate in this country."

Ward Churchill's statement regarding Roosting Chickens Churchill's essay "Some People Push Back" On the Justice of Roosting Chickens

Indypendent review of "On the Justice of Roosting Chickens"

NYC Indymedia Article

Hamilton College's Spectator newspaper